


Clannad: A Wonderful Life

by BrendanAurabolt



Category: Clannad
Genre: Anime, Anpan - Freeform, Clannad - Freeform, Dango, Family, Gen, Marriage, Other, Pregnancy, Pregnant, Romance
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-05-31
Updated: 2015-09-07
Packaged: 2018-01-27 18:27:41
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 21
Words: 38,438
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1719095
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/BrendanAurabolt/pseuds/BrendanAurabolt
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Imported from FF.net: Takes place a year after the Anime series. A new Okazaki is on the way, Youhei's getting married and...Fuko finds work at Furukawa Bakery. Hilarity ensues as old friends reunite!</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Room for One More

**Author's Note:**

> This story was imported from Fanfiction.net and is one of the most popular Clannad Fanfics on that site.
> 
> Story Overview: This takes place a year after After Story. When Nagisa becomes pregnant again, Tomoya's memories of Ushio's birth and the other outcome return again. The old gang gets together and a few things come to a head: Youhei proposes to Tomoyo (again), Kouko and Yusuke welcome a new baby, Kotomi wins the Nobel Prize and Ryou Fuijibayashi is getting married. 
> 
> Fuko's forgotten memories during their High School days seem to be returning but her memories of Ushio are disappearing. Is Fuko developing amnesia or is something else happening?
> 
> A/N: Whew, this is actually the first story I've written in which I don't give you an extended overview of the story's plot. It's still on my profile if you wanna check it out, though. What I will tell you is this takes place a year after the end of the Anime series. Ushio's starting first grade, Fuko gets a job at Furukawa Bakery and other fun stuff. 
> 
> Without further ado, on with the show!
> 
> ~B.A.

~

Chapter 1: Room for One More

~

When Tomoya came to pick her up from school, Ushio knew her mother was sick again. “Hi, Daddy!” she exclaimed as she jumped in his arms.

“Did you have a good day at school, Ushio?” Tomoya asked as he twirled her around.

“Uh-huh.” she replied as he put her down. “Oh, I just remembered! Ms. Fujibayashi wanted me to give this to you.” Ushio took a newspaper clipping out of her backpack. When he saw the headline, Tomoya's eyes widened in amazement: 'Kotomi Ichinose Awarded Nobel Prize'.

“That's incredible!” he exclaimed. “Wait til' Mommy gets a look at this!”

“What's it say?” Ushio asked.

“You remember Kotomi-chan, right?” he asked her, to which she nodded slowly. “Well, according to the paper, she's getting a very special award.”

“Is it like the Honor Roll?” Ushio asked as they left the school together.

“Eh...something like that.” he replied. As they walked home, Ushio told her father more about how her day at school had gone. Ushio, now six was in first grade but she did see Kyou Fujibayashi around school. When they arrived home, Nagisa and the Furukawas were there.

“Welcome home, Ushio.” Sanae greeted as Ushio hugged her and then Akio in turn.

“How was school today?” Nagisa asked her daughter.

“I saw Ms. Fujibayashi today.” she replied as she handed her the newspaper clipping. “She gave me that to show you.”

“Amazing!” Nagisa exclaimed when she read it. “Tomoya, did you see this?”

“I did.” he replied as he smiled. “Somehow I'm not surprised. She was the smartest girl in our school, after all. We should have a get together and celebrate.”

“That's a great idea.” Nagisa replied as she smiled. “We'll have two things to celebrate instead of one.”

“What do you mean?” Tomoya asked as he glanced at Akio. Unlike before, he wasn't giving anything up.

“Let's just say when we went to the hospital, we found out why Nagisa hasn't been feeling well this time.” Akio replied as he grinned.

“Tomoya, Ushio...I'm going to have a baby!” Nagisa announced. Both of them were speechless for two different reasons. Ushio was thrilled but Tomoya was stunned.

“Heh, that was me when I found out.” Akio said as he slapped Tomoya on the back. “Congratulations, Tomoya. You did it again!”

“I'm going to be a big sister!” Ushio exclaimed happily.

“Uh...yeah.” Tomoya finally said, his mind somewhere else.

“If you're worried about what happened when we found out about Ushio, a nurse offered to help out through the winter.” Sanae said to him. “Not only that, it's someone you know.”

“Really?” he asked in surprise.

“Yup, it's Ryou.” Nagisa replied. You remember her right, Ushio? She's Ms. Fujibayashi's twin sister.”

“Yeah, she really nice.” said Ushio.

“The baby will be born in the spring, which should eliminate most of the concerns that arose when Ushio was born.” Sanae explained to Tomoya. “When I talked to Ryou about it, she offered her services free of charge.”

“That's very nice of her.” he replied in amazement. “Then again, that's the way she's always been. I'm going to call Youhei and Tomoyo and see if they're available to come in town.” He dialed Tomoyo's number first since she still lived in town. He was surprised when a man's voice picked up the phone.

“Hello?” The voice said. Tomoya recognized the owner of the voice instantly.

“Sunohara?” he asked in surprise.

“Oh hey, Tomoya what's up?” he replied.

“Why are you answering Sakagami's phone?” Tomoya asked. “What are you doing there, anyway?”

“Well she is my girlfriend, Tomoya.” he replied. “She just stepped out for a few minutes but I'll let her know to call you.”

“Actually wait.” Tomoya said before he could hang up. “I was going to call you both but since I'm talking you now you can just pass this along to her. Did you hear Kotomi is getting the Nobel Prize?”

“We just saw it in the paper.” Youhei replied. “Pretty awesome, right?”

“Yeah, I was hoping we could have dinner at our place to celebrate that and some other good news.” he said. “Nagisa's pregnant.”

“You're having another baby?” Youhei asked in surprise. “That's awesome!”

“So can you come?” Tomoya asked.

“Sure I'll come.” he replied. “I'll tell Tomoyo and Mei about it, too. Later, Okazaki!”

“By the way, how's she adjusting to working at the bakery?” Nagisa asked her parents.

“She catches on quick.” Akio replied. “With the extra pair of hands we can bake more bread. I think we might be able to plan a vacation at this rate.”

“Wait, who are you talking about?” Tomoya asked.

“Mom and Dad were just telling me about the new assistant they hired recently.” Nagisa explained for his benefit. “It's her first job and now that her older sister's teaching again, she can't sit around at home anymore.”

“Wait...you don't mean...” Tomoya trailed as the name of one person came to mind.

“Yup, it's Fu-chan!” Ushio exclaimed. 

“She's not bad with baking, either.” Akio remarked. “Senae's creations are still astronomically worse in comparison but--”

“Do you think it's a good idea to say that when she's standing right in front of you?” Tomoya asked.

“Oh, I see how it is!” Sanae said, already move to tears. “So that's what you really think about my bread and pastries!” She ran out of the apartment sobbing, Akio right behind her.

“Wait, Sanae!” Akio called after her. “I love your bread and pastries!”

“Some things never change.” Nagisa said as the three smiled.

“Some things, yeah.” Ushio said as she sat in her mother's lap. 

“Things are going to be different when the new baby gets here.” Tomoya remarked thoughtfully. “Now that our family's getting a little bigger, we're going to need a bigger place. This place is fine for three but I don't think we'd be able to fit with four.”

“Yes, I agree.” Nagisa added. “I've come to love this place but for our growing family, we'll need to get a new home.”

“Is that ok with you, Ushio?” Tomoya asked. “Unlike me and Mommy, this is the only home you've ever known. Moving to a new house can be scary.”

“As long as I have you, I'll be fine.” she replied as she hugged him.

\---

End Chapter 1.

Hehe, this is just the opening chapter. Next chapter, the gang gets together and the house hunt ends before it can even begin. What does that mean? You'll have to wait and see!


	2. Family Planning

~

Chapter 2: Family Planning

~

It had been a few days since word spread about Kotomi getting the Nobel Prize. She left from Europe to return to Japan for dinner with her friends. What she didn't know was her honor wasn't the only reason she was asked to attend the dinner. “Glad you could make it, Kotomi-chan.” Tomoya said when he answered the door. “Kyou and Fujibayashi are already here. We're just waiting for Tomoyo, Youhei and Mei to get here.”

“Thank you for inviting me.” she replied. “I made an apple pie. I hope Ushio likes it.”

“If it's anything like the ones you made when we were in high school, she'll love it.” he said as she placed it on the table.

“Kotomi-chan!” Ushio exclaimed happily as she came into the living room. “Congratulations!”

“Why thank you, Shio-chan.” Kotomi replied, taking note of the large Dango plushies that lined one of the walls. “My, that's a lot of Dango! I've never seen so many!”

“Do you like the Big Dango Family?” Ushio asked her.

“Yes, I do.” she replied as she picked up a large lavender-colored one and squeezed it. “So soft...”

“Glad you could make it, Kotomi!” Nagisa said as she and the Fujibayashi twins came into the living room. 

“It's been a while!” Kyou said as hugs were exchanged.

“Yes, it has.” her sister added. “Once Tomoyo, Sunohara and Mei get here then we can talk about the other exciting news.”

“Other news?” Kotomi asked in surprise. “Did someone else win the Nobel Prize?”

“Oh no, it's nothing like that.” Tomoya replied as he smiled. “Once the others get here Nagisa and I will tell tell everyone.” They didn't have much longer to wait. An hour after Kotomi arrived, Tomoyo and the Sunoharas arrived. Mei, who was as tall as Kotomi was holding a bouquet of flowers.

“Congratulations, Nagisa!” she said as she handed her the bouquet.

“Whoa, those are beautiful!” Tomoya said in amazement. 

“I picked the myself.” Mei said as her older brother made a face. “...With a little help from Youhei.”

“Thank you for the flowers, Mei.” Nagisa said as she put them in a vase. “I hope they last long enough to bring them to our new home.”

“New home?” Kyou asked in surprise.

“Oh, that's right.” Ryou said as everyone sat around the table. “I forgot only myself, the Furukawas and the Okazakis know.”

“And us since Tomoya called.” Youhei added.

“Ushio, why don't you tell our friends the exciting news?” Nagisa offered.

“Okay.” she replied as she stood. “We're going to have a new baby!”

“Wow, that's great news!” Kyou exclaimed. “Congratulations, Tomoya!”

“So that's why you said you were moving.” said Kotomi. “That certainly is wonderful news.” And then everyone started talking at once. The baby news was the topic of the night but Kotomi didn't really mind. She was excited for her friends herself.

“So, have you guys started looking for a new place yet?” Tomoyo asked.

“I called my Dad this morning and told him about it.” Tomoya replied. “When I mentioned we were looking to get a bigger place, he said we could move into his house. It's pretty big and it's closer to the Furukawas, Ushio's school and the electric company.”

“Whoa, you sure don't waste time.” Youhei remarked thoughtfully. “Since we're on the subject of real estate, you wouldn't mind if we I moved into this place after you guys move out, would you?”

“What do you mean?” Nagisa asked.

“The company transferred me to this town but we're on our own for housing.” he explained. “I've been staying with Tomoyo but now that Mei is transferring to our high school, I thought it would be nice if I got my own place. It'll be just like old times!”

“All that's left is Kotomi, then.” Ryou noted. “Everyone's moving back to town except her it seems.”

“But I am moving back to town.” she said, much to everyone's surprise. “While I was in America, I designed a trans-dimensional gateway that in theory would allow one to travel from this world to a parallel universe. I plan to use one million dollars I received to fund its construction here.”

“I have no idea what that means but it sounds like something you'd be into.” Kyou replied as she rubbed her head. “Hey, wasn't Fuko here with us?”

“We invited her but something came up and she couldn't make it.” Tomoya replied. “She sends her best wishes and regrets not being able to come.”

“I'll have to visit her at the bakery tomorrow.” said Mei. “It's been a whole year since I've seen Akio and Sanae, too.”

“Me, too.” Kotomi added. 

“Hey, why don't we all go?” Tomoyo suggested.

“Sounds good to me.” Kyou replied. 

“I don't mind.” Nagisa added.

“Then it's settled.” said Ryou. “Tomorrow, we'll see our friend Fuko at Furukawa Bakery!” After dinner, everyone hung out and talked for a while before heading home. After packing away the leftovers and cleaning up, the Okazaki Family sat by the window and looked into the night sky.

“It was great seeing everyone again.” Nagisa said as Ushio sat in her lap. “It's nice to see everyone's doing as well as we are.”

“That's one way to put it.” Tomoya replied as he smiled. “I'm still a bit shocked Sunohara and Tomoyo are dating. In high school, they were always butting heads.”

“I know what you mean.” Nagisa remarked. “It looks like Youhei's starting to rub off on Tomoyo, doesn't it?”

“Yeah!” Ushio said as she yawned. “I had lots of fun tonight. I'm sure the new baby's going to like Uncle Youhei too.”

“And I'm sure the new baby's going to love their big sister.” said Tomoya as he patted Ushio on the head. “I feel like the luckiest guy in the world to have you for a daughter.”

“Wow, Dad's never said that about me before.” Nagisa said in surprise. “Hey wait. What if we have another daughter? Would you say the same thing to her?”

“I don't know, but Ushio's a tough act to follow if we do have another girl.” he replied as he smiled as he thought of something. “It looks like we have our work cut out for us. Not only for the new baby but for the new house, too. We're going to need to get some help to move everything. Before we do all that, we'll have to remember to do the 'fun' part first.”

“The fun part?” Ushio asked.

“Packing everything up into boxes.” he explained. “It'll take some time and on top of that we'll have to unpack everything once we get there.”

“Yeah, but it's the only way to move all of our stuff.” Nagisa pointed out. “If we do it as a family, it won't be so bad.”

“A big Dango family?” Ushio asked sleepily. 

“Exactly!” Nagisa replied as Ushio fell asleep in her arms.

“I think I'm starting to warm up to that song.” said Tomoya as Nagisa put Ushio to bed. “Want to sign it together?”

“You don't even have to ask.” she replied.

“Dango dango dango dango dango daikazoku  
Dango dango dango dango dango daikazoku

Yancha na yaki-dango yasashii an-dango  
Sukoshi yumemigachi na tsukimi-dango  
Osumashi goma-dango yotsugo kushi dango  
Minna minna awasete hyakunin kazoku

Aka-chan dango wa itsumo shiawase no naka de  
Toshiyori dango wa me o hosometeru

Nakayoshi dango te o tsunagi ooki na marui wa ni naru yo  
Machi o tsukuri dango hoshi no ue minna de waraiau yo  
Usagi mo sora de te o futte miteru dekkai o-tsuki-sama  
Ureshii koto kanashii koto mo zenbu marumete

Nakayoshi dango te o tsunagi ooki na marui wa ni naru yo  
Machi o tsukuri dango hoshi no ue minna de waraiau yo  
Usagi mo sora de te o futte miteru dekkai o-tsuki-sama  
Ureshii koto kanashii koto mo zenbu marumete...”

 

After they finished the song, Nagisa and Tomoya fell asleep tightly holding each others' hand, their daughter sleeping between them.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I decided to put the Romanji instead of the English translation because the song is always sung in Japanese even in the English Dub. That and I know some people would want to sing along too! If you want the English translation check out the Clannad Wiki.
> 
> I do have some exciting news: As of this weekend I have logged in over 1,000,000 words at this website! It was a goal I set when I first joined the site and it took me almost ten years to reach this milestone.


	3. Home Sweet Home

~

Chapter 3: Home Sweet Home

~

 

“Welcome to our bakery—oh, it just you guys.” Fuko said when The Okazakis, the Sunoharas, the Fujibayashi Twins, Tomoyo and Kotomi entered Furukawa Bakery the next morning. Unlike much of the town, the bakery had resisted change. In fact, the only change of note was their new employee and the...unique creations she introduced to the the Furukawas.

“Hi, Fuko.” Nagisa said as she smiled. “Long time, no see!” 

“Oh, you brought Ushio with you!” Fuko exclaimed happily. She came around the counter ans hugged the six-year old tightly. “Now that you're here, how about you and I play for a while, Ushio?”

“Aren't you supposed to be working right now?” Tomoya asked, stating the obvious. “I'm pretty sure Akio would be furious if you abandoned your post like that.”

“Then why don't you take over for a while?” Fuko offered.

“What, me?” Tomoya asked in surprise. “Well, it's true I worked here once for a little while but--”

“Then it's settled!” Fuko exclaimed happily. “Let's be on our way now, Ushio!”

“HEY!” Tomoya yelled after the pair as they ran out the bakery and down the street. “Aw, for the love of...I just knew something like this would happen. Ryou, Kotomi, could you two go after them and make sure they stay out of trouble? The rest of us will take care of things here in the meantime.”

“Sure, not a problem.” Ryou replied.

“We'll be back with them as soon as we can.” Kotomi added as they walked down the street. No sooner had they left than Akio emerged from the back room.

“What's with the commotion out here?” he asked, suddenly noticing who was and wasn't present. “Wait a minute. Where's Fuko? And Ushio while we're on the subject?”

“Sorry, that's our fault.” Nagisa replied. “We came over to visit but Fuko got so excited to see Ushio they took off together a minute ago.”

“Well, as long as they're together I guess.” Akio remarked as he shrugged. “So what brings my favorite daughter and her deadbeat husband to my humble bakery?”

“I have a full-time job, you know!” Tomoya shot back. “And aren't you the one who goes off whenever he wants with no regard to his livelihood?”

“When you put it like that you make it sound like I've been living off Sanae since Nagisa moved in with you.” Akio replied, adding “And everyone knows my bread is the only reason we've lasted this long since no one ever wants to even look at the stuff Sanae puts out.”

“Are you sure that's something you want to say while your wife can hear you?” Tomoyo asked as Sanae entered the bakery. Akio whirled around in surprise but it was obvious the damage had already been done.

“Oh I see how it is.” she said as her eyes watered. “I've been nothing more than a burden to you!” She ran out the store and down the street, Akio following soon after with half a dozen of Sanae's rolls in his mouth.

“Come back Sanae, I'm sorry!” he exclaimed as he ran after her.

“Some things never change.” Nagisa remarked as she smiled. Everyone came back an hour later. After introductions and reintroductions were made, everyone sat around the family table upstairs. For the friends, it was reminiscent of their days in high school.

“Fuko would like to congratulate you on the new brother or sister in progress.” Fuko said to Ushio. “If I were you I'd want a sister. Then you could be the cool big sister!”

“I'm pretty sure that isn't really up to Ushio to decide.” Kyou remarked thoughtfully. “Though now that you mention it, I'd probably be the teacher of the new Okazaki in five years.”

“So, how are things going with work, Nagisa?” Tomoyo asked. “I hear things have been going well at the restaurant.”

“Things are going as well as can be I guess.” she replied. “The manager is going to open a bigger restaurant across town next year. Not only that, he said he wants me to take over managing the old one in his place.”

“That's amazing!” Youhei exclaimed. “You're really moving up in the world. Too bad we can't say the same for Tomoya.”

“What are you talking about?” he asked in surprise. “I'm the assistant manager of Hikarisaka Electric. If that's not moving up the chain, I don't know what is.”

“WHAT!” Youhei exclaimed in shock. “Since when?”

“Try three years ago.” he replied as he and Kyou grinned. “If you'd like a job at the company, I'm the guy to ask. With the new buildings going up every year, we've been looking to hire on more people.”

“You'd do that for me?” Youhei asked. “Seriously?”

“Wait, don't you already have a job at that modeling agency?” Ryou asked.

“Yeah, but I hate it.” he replied to the surprise of Tomoya, Nagisa, Kyou and Tomoyo. “The only reason I've worked there all this time is because I couldn't find a job somewhere else.”

“Oh, I don't know.” Tomoya remarked as he and Akio exchanged glances. “Why don't you ask Nagisa or Akio to hire you? I'm sure they could use you more than I could.”

“When you put it like that, you make it sound like I'm good for nothing!” he exclaimed.

“But you are good for nothing.” Tomoya, Kyou and Tomoyo replied in unison.

“I guess if he's serious about finding new work I could hire him.” Akio said after a long pause. “We've been making good money lately so you'd probably make more than enough for the new apartment. If you want to make a bit more than that, talk to Nagisa.”

“There is an open position for a new host or hostess.” Nagisa noted. “I was the hostess for the last three years and it was pretty fun. You meet all kinds of interesting people along the way, too. If you're serious, I'm sure I could talk to the manager about hiring you. If you want to bring home a lot of money to buy Tomoyo nice things, I recommend you talk to Tomoya.”

“H-Hey!” he exclaimed. 

“Looks like you have to hire my brother now.” Mei said as she smiled.

“Please!” Youhei said as he bowed before Tomoya.

“Ok fine!” he replied. “Just don't complain to me if things don't go the way you expected. I'll set you up with Yoshino tomorrow. He taught me everything I know when I started, after all.”

“Thank you so much, Tomoya!” Youhei exclaimed as he shook his hand enthusiastically. “I promise you won't regret it!”

“I'm already starting to reconsider the wisdom in hiring you on.” he remarked quietly as Kyou and Nagisa laughed. The conversation drifted to various topics from there. Kotomi, Nagisa and the Fujibayashi Twins talked about their days in high school while Tomoya, Youhei, Tomoyo, Akio and Sanae talked about their relationships. Fuko, Mei and Ushio sat quietly pretending to follow both sets of conversations until they heard customers enter the bakery downstairs.

“Sounds like that's our cue to get back to work.” Akio said as he and Sanae stood to leave. He paused and turned to Fuko. “You can hang out with your friends if you want. We're going to close up a little early tonight. Consider it a celebration for the new baby.”

“That's very generous of you, Mr. Furukawa.” Fuko replied in amazement. 

“Well, you know what they say.” Nagisa said as she smiled.

“Any friend of my granddaughter is a friend of mine!” Akio and Sanae chimed in unison as they went downstairs. 

“And now the circle is complete.” Tomoya remarked, getting to his feet. “Come on, Sunohara.”

“Huh?” he said in surprise. “Where are we going?”

“Yoshino's probably at the office about now.” he explained. “If we go now, I think we can take care of the paperwork tonight. Most of it, anyway.”

“That's awesome!” he exclaimed as he jumped up excitedly.

“Almost forgot.” Tomoya said as he fished the car keys from his pocket and give them to Nagisa. “I'll go with Sunohara. Hope you don't mind taking Mei and Tomoyo home.”

“No problem at all.” Nagisa replied. “It's what friends do.”

“Are you sure you're ok to...you know, drive?” Kyou asked warily. “You tend to get sick during the cold season, after all.”

“That's why I'm going with them.” Ryou replied. “I'll be there in case anything happens.”

“Well that's a relief.” her sister replied as she turned to Kotomi. “Guess that means you're riding with me.”

\---

Tomoya and Sunohara arrived at Hikarisaka Electric just as Yusuke Yoshino emerged from the building. He was about to lock the front door when Tomoya and Sunohara ran over to him. “I thought you were taking the day off?” he said to Tomoya.

“That was the plan, yes but then my friend here asked me for a job.” he replied.

“Why didn't Akio or Nagisa hire him?” Yusuke asked as his eyes darted between Tomoya and Youhei.

“That was my idea but then I remembered we needed a new guy.” Tomoya replied, leaning into his mentor's ear. “He looks dumb but he's full of surprises.”

“Hey, what was that?” Youhei asked.

“Oh, nothing.” Tomoya replied as he opened the door. “Let's just get this over with.”

 

“Are you sure we're not going to regret this?” Yoshino whispered to Tomoya.

“Believe me, I already have.” he whispered back.

“HEY!” Sunohara exclaimed as the door closed behind them.

\---

“It sure was nice to have everyone together like that.” Ryou said as she, Nagisa and Ushio arrived at the Okazaki home. To their surprise, Tomoya was already home.

“How'd you get home so fast?” Ryou asked.

“Let's just say Sunohara couldn't wait to tell Tomoyo about the new job.” he explained. Nagisa and Ryou exchanged glances before bursting into laughter.

“I hope he does well for Mei and Tomoyo's sakes.” Nagisa remarked.

“You won't have to worry about that.” Tomoya replied as he grinned. “He's going to working under Yusuke directly. Knowing him, Sunohara will learn the trade in no time flat.”

“That's certainly good news.” said Ryou. “I'm sure Mei and Tomoyo won't let him give up so easily, either. Now that you're all home I'll get going too. She may not look it but Kyou tends to worry when I'm out by myself.”

“Then why don't you spend the night?” Ushio asked.

“That's very kind if you, but I could never--” she began before Tomoya cut in.

“Oh no I insist.” he said. “If something happened right after you left I'm sure your sister would leave Nagisa and Ushio without a husband and father.”

“Well, if you insist.” Ryou said after thinking a moment. “I'll just call Kyou and let her know.” As soon as Ryou left the room Nagisa collapsed next to Tomoya, who took her in his arms.

“Right on schedule.” he remarked as he carried her into their bedroom. “Ushio, go let Ryou know Mommy's not feeling well.”

“Sure.” the five year old replied as she took off. Even though Ushio had grown used to her mother's fainting spells, Tomoya worried about how Nagisa would be able to handle taking care of the new baby and Ushio as well as herself at the same time.

“Well, as long as we have each other.” he said in answer to his unasked question as he smiled at his wife's sleeping form.


	4. It's The Heart That Counts

~

Chapter 4: It's the Heart that Counts

~

 

“Nagisa's not feeling well?” Youhei asked over the phone. “Will she be ok?”

“I'm kinda used to it by now.” Tomoya replied as he glanced in the direction of his sleeping wife across the room. “And with Ryou here I can go to work after I take Ushio to school.”

“Are you sure that's a good idea?” he asked. “If you talked to Yoshino I'm sure you'd be fine to take the day off.”

“Yeah, but that wouldn't do any good.” Tomoya remarked, more to himself. “On my last day as a high school student, Nagisa made me promise I wouldn't hold myself back for her sake. Times have changed a little but even so, I have to go on both for my sake and Ushio's.” There was a pause before Youhei spoke again.

“If that's what you're gonna do, I'm with you.” he said. “I'll see you later then I guess.”

“Thanks a lot, Sunohara.” Tomoya replied, smiling.

“That's what friends are for, right?” his friend asked as the two shared a laugh.

“Right.” Tomoya replied. “See you later.” After hanging up the phone Tomoya grabbed his things and set them by the door. Ryou was preparing some food for Nagisa and Ushio had finished her breakfast.

“Everything will be fine, Tomoya.” Ryou said before he could say anything. “You should hurry and get Ushio off to school. It won't do for you to be late either.”

“Yeah, I know.” he said as he turned to his daughter. “Say goodbye to Mommy, Ushio.”

“Bye Mom, see you later.” she said as she shouldered her backpack.

“I'll see you when you get back.” Nagisa replied.

“I'll pick her up from school.” Tomoya added as he grabbed the car keys from the counter. “Try to get some rest, Nagisa.”

“I will, but don't push yourself.” she replied. He smiled warmly. Despite her condition she always thought of others. Without another word he and Ushio left for the day.

“I hope he doesn't worry too much for your sake.” Ryou said as she spooned soup into a small bowl for Nagisa. “It certainly wouldn't do if both of you got sick.”

“I'm sure he'll be okay.” Nagisa replied. “He'll worry about me even though he knows I always get sick this time of year. When I'm back on my feet I know he'll be happy.”

\---

“So, do you really think this is going to work?” Tomoyo asked as Kotomi put the finishing touches on her new invention. “And will it be safe?”

“Well, you know what they say.” Kotomi replied, smiling. “The path to mankind's greatest achievements tends to be littered with a few bodies. Seriously though, would I have set up the Parallel Gateway in my backyard if it was unsafe?”

“No, but...” Tomoya replied slowly as one of the other scientists joined them. “Professor Ichinose, final preparations are complete. Give the word and we will begin at once.”

“Good.” she replied. “Let's start it up, then. Right this way, Tomoyo.” The two walked to the patio where the control panel was set up. The gateway hummed to life as it was powered up. Everyone watched as a sphere of light appeared in the gate, steadily going larger until it was big enough for a person to pass through.

“You did it!” Tomoya exclaimed in amazement.

“No, wait.” said Kotomi as she looked at something on the control panel. “That's not an inter-dimensional gateway! Quick, shut it down!”

“Cutting power!” one of the scientists said as the sounds of various machines powering down filled the air. No sooner had it grown quiet than the sounds of sirens filled the air.

“What's going on?” Tomoya asked. 

“That wasn't a gateway we just activated.” Kotomi replied as she read the printout. “We just activated the world's first nuclear fusion reactor.” All eyes were on the girl genius as the gravity of what she just said sunk in.

“Looks like you just won yourself another Nobel Prize, Kotomi.” Tomoyo remarked in amazement. 

“Believe me, I'm just as surprised.” she said as she turned to go inside. “Now on to the next thing...”

\---

Tomoya, Youhei and Yusuke had just punched out for the afternoon when they caught the news report on TV. “Our big news of the day once again comes from Hikarisaka.” the reporter said. “All eyes are on recent Nobel Prize winner Kotomi Ichinose, who has successfully test run the world's first Fusion Nuclear Reactor earlier today.”

“She did WHAT?” Tomoya exclaimed in surprise as everyone in the office crowded around the TV to see the footage.

“Nuclear experts from Silicon Valley, Tokyo and London hail her success as the ultimate solution to the world's energy crisis.” The reporter continued. “One can only wonder what Ms. Ichinose will come up with next.”

“Talk about being a trend setter.” Youhei remarked. “Kotomi makes history without even trying.”

“That's certainly one way to put it.” Tomoya remarked thoughtfully. “You can bet companies worldwide are going to be falling over themselves trying to get a deal with her. I hope she can handle it.”

“With friends like us, she got nothing to worry about!” Youhei declared. “All she needs to do is ask and I'll be more than happy to take care of this for her!”

“You sure you're not just interested in the money she stands to gain?” Yoshino asked as they left the office. 

“I wouldn't say that's my only interest.” he replied. “Besides, she's going to need us around to make sure no one tries to mess with her.”

“You've got a point there.” said Tomoya as something from the past suddenly came to him. “I'm going to go pick up Ushio from school. Wanna meet up at the park later?”

“Sure.” Youhei replied. “What about you, Yusuke? You in?”

“I'll have to pass this time.” He replied. “I promised Kouko I'd record some songs for the baby this evening. Now that Fuko works in the afternoon I'd rather not miss this opportunity.”

“Hey, I hear ya.” Youhei said as he grinned. “See you later, then.”

\---

“We're home.” Ushio announced as she and her father entered their apartment.

“Welcome back you two.” Nagisa said as they came into the bedroom. “How was your day?”

“Our friend Kotomi made history earlier—again.” Tomoya offered.

“Oh yeah, she designed a new kind of power source.” said Ryou. “Tomoyo called earlier and told us about it. The crazy thing is she did it by accident.”

“Even so, it's still amazing.” Nagisa remarked. 

“Not to change the subject or anything but I was planning to meet up with Youhei at the park in a little bit.” Tomoya said. “If you wanted to rest for a little while I could take Ushio with me.”

“I'm actually feeling better now.” Nagisa replied. “Ryou checked my temperature and the fever's gone.”

“That's great!” he exclaimed. “How about you come with us, then?”

“Sure, I'd love to.” she replied, smiling. “Just give me a few minutes to get ready.” 

“Since you're back Tomoya, that'll be my cue to head out.” Ryou said as she grabbed her coat. “I wonder what Kyou's up to now that I mention it.”

“Thanks again for everything, Ryou.” Tomoya said to her, shaking her hand.

“That's for friends are for.” she replied. “See you tomorrow Nagisa, Ushio.”

“Bye, Ryou!” Ushio said as Ryou let herself out. A moment later, the phone rang.

“Okazaki residence.” Tomoya said, picking up the phone.

“Good evening, Tomoya.” the voice on the other end replied. Tomoya felt his blood freeze when he heard the voice on the other end of the line.

“D-Dad?” he said in surprise. “Wait, how did you get this number?”

“Nagisa gave it to me when you got that apartment remember?” he replied. “I was just calling to offer my congratulations on the new baby. I trust Nagisa and Ushio are doing well?”

“Yeah, they're fine.” Tomoya said as Nagisa came into the hall. “The baby's due in the spring so we shouldn't have any of the complications we had when Ushio was born.”

“That's good.” he replied. “I know you've had your eye on our old home and I want you to know you're welcome to it. In fact, I'm going to be in town this weekend to handle the paperwork. I spoke to the Furukawas about it and they've agreed to let me stay with them. I've got to run and catch a taxi to the train station so I'll talk to you later, son.”

“Dad, wait!” Tomoya exclaimed as the line went dead. He stared at the phone for a moment before looking at his wife.

“What was that about?” she asked.

“My Dad's coming over this weekend.” he replied, hanging up the phone. “He's spending the weekend at the bakery!”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> For once I decided to end the chapter with a cliffhanger. As a side note, Nuclear Fusion is actually possible but it's mostly theoretical stuff. This was part of the reason I didn't and probably won't go into technical detail in terms of how Kotomi created a working stable Nuclear Fusion reactor. 
> 
> I also thought it would be a nice change of pace for a Japanese scientist to do something positive with nuclear energy even though it was technically an accidental success (LOL). I have something far more interesting planned for Kotomi in the near future. Yes the Okazaki Family are the main characters but I'm including the others as well for the sake of consistency. 
> 
> That's about it in terms of what I'm sharing ahead of time for now. The good stuff's a surprise. Thanks to those who've reviewed up to now. I ask for your continued patience on this story. So far I've resisted the urge to use OCs since I tend to go overboard so...yeah.
> 
> ~Brendan Aurabolt


	5. A Dramatic Return

XxX

Chapter 5: A Dramatic Return

XxX

 

“So what are you gonna do?” Youhei asked. “I know you and your Dad haven't exactly been close or anything but...”

“That's the part I'm still working on.” he replied as he watched Mei and Ushio play in the distance. “If you asked me that question eight years ago my answer would've been no way but now...I don't know. It wouldn't be fair to him or Ushio to keep them apart but at the same time, I don't want her to go through what I did.”

“Didn't he quit drinking and vow to turn his life around?” Tomoyo asked.

“Yeah, and he did.” Tomoya replied. “My grandmother told me he quit drinking after he met Ushio for the first time. She's been watching him closely since then and he hasn't had a drop of alcohol since.”

“That's great news, but I can tell there's something extra you're leaving out.” Youhei replied thoughtfully. Tomoya couldn't help but smile. Of course his best friend would notice right away.

“Now's not the right time for that.” he finally said, glancing at Nagisa. “I'm pretty sure he revisits the past every time he sees us.”

“Do you mean the two of us or us as a family?” Nagisa asked.

“Both.” Tomoya replied, smiling warmly. “You know my parents' story, right? My parents loved each other even after death separated them. Sometimes Dad cried himself to sleep with mom's name on his lips. I didn't realize it at the time but me being there may have been what kept him from going over the deep end.”

“I see.” Tomoyo said. “So you believe your father's drawing comparisons between him and your mom with you and Nagisa. I don't really see what's wrong with that. I'm sure Nagisa's parents do the same thing.”

“Yeah, I know all too well.” Tomoya replied. “Akio looks out for me as if I was his son and not his son in law. Still...I just don't want my dad to get the wrong idea.”

“I'm sure if you talk to him, it'll be fine.” Nagisa offered. “He's the only dad you have, after all.”

“Are you talking about Aki?” Ushio asked as she walked over to them with Mei.

“Actually, we were talking about your other grandfather this time.” her father replied, patting her on the head. At that moment, Tomoya felt something strange. He couldn't put his finger on it but he felt like something had happened before with him, Ushio and his father. “...Say Ushio, how would you like to spend some time with him when he comes to town?”

“Really?” she asked in surprise. Had he looked at them he was sure Nagisa, Tomoyo and Youhei would have a similar expression on their faces. “You mean just the two of us?”

“Of course.” Nagisa replied, smiling. “Your Dad and I were talking about it just now and we think it could be fun.”

“Hmm...okay.” she replied after a thinking a moment. “I can't wait! Say, I wonder if he likes The Big Dango Family, too?”

“I'm sure he does.” Tomoya replied as Youhei leaned over to him.

“What made you change your mind?” he asked.

“I can't really say.” he replied quietly as his eyes turned to the night sky.

XxX

“Fuko's home!” Fuko announced as she closed the door behind her. Her sister Kouko emerged from the kitchen to greet her. 

“Welcome home, Fuko.” her sister greeted. “How was your day?” 

“It was ok I guess.” she replied.”I kinda had to keep Sanae away from the bakery for a couple of hours when someone from the paper came to do a story on the bakery.”

“That sounds like something Akio would ask you to do.” The older sister said as she giggled. “I'm almost done with dinner. Why don't you wash up and change your clothes in the meantime?”

“Okay.” Fuko replied before taking her leave. She went upstairs and drew a bath. While she was waiting for the tub to fill with water she brushed her hair. She made a game out of combing her hair by pretending invisible hands were trying to tangle her hair while she brushed. With each stroke she was able to do she was winning. 

“Looks like I win this round.” she said as she grinned at her reflection. “Better luck next time!” When she tried to turn the faucet off more water came out. She tried to turn it the other way when to her horror, the handle broke off.

“Uh-Oh!” she gasped in surprise. First she tried putting the handle back on but that didn't work. Thinking quickly, she ran to the kitchen and grabbed several sponges while her sister wasn't looking. She ran back to the upstairs bathroom to find the water was spilling onto the floor. She threw the sponges into the tub and at first it looked like her plan would work. The sponges absorbed the water as expected but there was one little problem: The was more water than the sponges could hold!

“Can't say I didn't try.” she remarked as she shut the door behind her and quietly walked downstairs to dinner. Yusuke had just arrived when she came to the table.

“Welcome home, dear.” Kouko greeted. “I was just about to set the table.”

“Perfect timing, then.” he replied cheerily. “I'm so hungry, I could eat a horse. I'll be right back after I take a shower.” Now this caught Fuko's attention.

“I don't think you wanna do that.” she said. Kouko and Yusuke exchanged a look before turning to her.

“Why wouldn't I want to take a shower?” he asked warily. Fuko spotted a trail of water coming down the stairs behind him. Things were just turning from bad to worse!

“AH!” she exclaimed in surprise. “Abandon Ship! Abandon Ship!”

“Fuko, what are you—AH!” her sister exclaimed when she saw the water running down the stairs herself. “Where's that coming from?!”

“The upstairs bathroom.” Fuko replied flatly. “I had some technical difficulties taking a bath.”

“You call THAT technical difficulties?!” Yusuke asked in surprise. 

“It's not like I did it on purpose!” she fired back. “I even managed to keep most of the water IN the bathroom!” The sound of creaking wood drew their attention to the bathroom door. It wasn't going to hold for very long.

“Get the baby!” Kouko exclaimed as the three of them ran upstairs. Kouko and Yusuke grabbed the infant, some clothes and as many important documents as they could carry before running outside and across the street. It took them a few moments to realize someone was missing.

“Where's Fuko?” They asked each other in unison. As if in answer, the sound of roaring water erupted from the house. The couple watched as the water streamed out of the front door, across the lawn and into the street. 

“FUKO!” Kouko exclaimed in horror. “Oh my God—Yusuke, she can't swim!”

“Kouko, look!” he exclaimed in surprise. They watched as Fuko emerged from the house on a surfboard riding a wave. She brought the surfboard back to Japan from their vacation in Hawaii last summer. She wondered what she would do with it but now she was glad to see her sister making use of it.

“Surf's up!” Fuko exclaimed as she steered to where her sister was, coming to as complete stop.”I give that one an 8 out of 10.”

 

“You certainly never cease to amaze.” Yusuke said in amazement. “You're safe now and that's what matters the most right now.”

“That's true, but now we'll need a place to spend the night.” Kouko noted. “Who could we ask on such short notice?”

“I know just the place.” Fuko replied, grinning.

XxX

The next day after work, Tomoya was surprised to see Yusuke at Furukawa Bakery—in exercise clothes. “That's right I forgot to tell you.” he said to Tomoya's unasked question. “We had an accident at our place so the Furukawas are going to put us up until the repairs are done.

“How long's it going to be?” Tomoya asked.

“They mentioned they were expecting a guest from out of town this weekend but the repair job should be done before then.” Yusuke replied. “Why do you ask?”

“The guest they're expecting...it's my father.” Tomoya explained. “We've been trying to mend our relationship for Ushio's sake but I still have my reservations.”

“Care to talk about it?” he asked.

“Nah, I think we'll work things out.” Tomoya declined. “I've already talked about it with Nagisa and her parents and we're going to try to make this work.” 

“I see.” Yusuke replied, nodding. “Well, if you need some advice you know where to find me.” He didn't want to admit it but Tomoya was feeling very anxious about the whole thing. What if his father had a relapse and started drinking again? What if he couldn't let go of the past? What if...?

“Tomoya, I love you.” The four words were so sudden it snapped him back to reality. He didn't have to turn around to know who had spoken. Only two people had ever said these words to him and he knew one of them wasn't in town.

“Nagisa.” he said, allowing his eyes to know what his ears, nose and heart already did.

“Shh...don't say anything.” she whispered, leaning into his face. Their noses touched before Nagisa spoke again. “We share the same heart, Tomoya. I'll always be able to tell when you're sad. So please...don't try to carry the burden alone. I couldn't bear to see it.”

“Nagisa, I...” he replied softly. He was about to complete the tender moment when the door connecting the bakery from the home suddenly opened. Sanae bounded down the stairs. 

“Nagisa, there's a call for you upstairs.” she said. “It's your friend Kotomi.”

“Later, then?” Tomoya asked hopefully.

“Huh? Oh, sure.” Nagisa replied before hurrying up the stairs. Tomoya watched after his wife until the door closed behind her.

“Say Tomoya, could I have a minute of your time?” Sanae said to him, reminding him she was there.

“Sure, I guess.” he replied as he followed her into the backyard. They sat down under the large tree that shadowed three yards. Once they were settled, Sanae began.

“I thought I should tell you what Nagisa and Kotomi were going to talk about.” she began. Now this had Tomoya's full attention. “You know about the nuclear fusion reactor Kotomi created, yes? As expected she will be presented with the Nobel Prize for her discovery. Along with the award she will receive another one million dollars. What she's talking about with Nagisa is what she intends to do with it.”

“What do you mean?” Tomoya asked. Suddenly he remembered a conversation Kotomi had with them the spring after Ushio was born. 

“With your permission, I would like to research Nagisa's illness.” she'd said. “I have a friend who has a clinic in Osaka. She used to work for the CDC in America and when I told her about Nagisa she said she'd like to find a cure. That is, if you're interested. If you agree to see her, I'll personally cover traveling expenses to and from Osaka.”

“I think it's worth trying at least.” Tomoya had said. “Worst case scenario you don't lose anything in the end.”

“I can think of worse.” Nagisa said as she held Ushio, who slept in her arms. “I don't like to think about it any more than you do Tomoya but there's no guarantee I'll always be there to take care of Ushio. I don't ever want the future you saw to happen not just for your sake but I want to see our daughter grow up, too. I'll do it, Kotomi. Even if this doesn't work out at least we can say we tried.”

It was with that determination Nagisa traveled to Osaka to see Dr. Reika Suou a few times a year. Tests were run and blood samples taken in an effort to identify and cure Nagisa's illness. So far Dr. Sou had been able to determine not only did Nagisa have the illness to deal with but she had a weak constitution as well. Both nearly killed her when she gave birth to Ushio. It was likely she'd always be physically weak so Dr. Suou focused on curing her illness, which at times left her bedridden for weeks.

“Tomoya...Dr. Suou has developed a drug that can suppress Nagisa's illness!” Sanae finished, this time allowing tears she'd been holding back to flow. Tomoya could only look at Sanae in utter disbelief. All the times he'd seen Nagisa fall sick with fever, the utter helplessness he felt watching her suffer through childbirth...could there really be a cure? 

Silently, he pulled Sanae into his arms and together the wept. For the first time since she'd come into their lives, there was hope.

XxX

“...And that's why I decided to use my award money to help Dr. Suou develop a drug that will give improve your quality of life.” Kotomi finished after explaining everything. “I'm sure Tomoya, Ushio and your parents will be happy.”

“Yes...I'm sure they will.” Nagisa replied as she thought back to all the suffering her family had gone through every time she suddenly fell ill. Even worse, she'd nearly died giving birth to Ushio. The idea that there could be a cure...she could only feel joy. 

“I have a few more phone calls to make but we'll be in touch, okay?” Kotomi continued. “I know Ryou has been looking after you but could you or Tomoya give me a call if you start to feel sick?”

“Sure I guess.” she replied before hanging up the phone. Only then did she allow herself to feel a sense of hope for the first time since Ushio was born.

“You'd think you won the lottery with that expression.” Akio said as he came into the room. 

“Dad, I just found out something even better.” Nagisa replied. When she told him he could only look at her dumbfounded. 

“I'll be rooting for her, then.” he said after a long pause. “Say, what do you think about having a brother or sister?”

“It sounds like fun but why do you ask?” she answered. “Wait, is Mom pregnant?”

“Nope, but at this point the time for that will pass us by forever.” her father said, grinning. “Now that I know there's a good chance you're going to live to see Ushio get married I think we could work on adding more kids to the family tree.”

“When you say it that way you'd think her condition was the main reason we never tried before.” Sanae said as she and Tomoya came into the room. 

“Nah, just giving Tomoya the reassurance.” Akio replied, chuckling. “Sounds like a challenge if you ask me.”

“What!” Tomoya said in surprise. “I never said that!”

“You sure?” Akio asked, feigning disappointment. “So much for Ushio having aunts and uncles. Way to go, Tomoya.”

“Now now, let's not get too worked up here.” Nagisa cut in. “We're all adults here. Tomoya, if my parents wanted to start having more children then you're just going to have to accept that. And Dad, I'm pretty sure we didn't make it a contest of who could have more children when Tomoya and I were married.”

“Yeah, you tell him Nagisa!” Tomoya exclaimed triumphantly. 

“...But on the other hand, I've always wanted to have a brother or sister.” she remarked thoughtfully much to the surprise of her husband and father.”Say Mom, how about you get started on number 2 this time next year?”

“Sure, I don't mind.” she replied.

“Sanae, you can't be serious!” Akio exclaimed.

“Very.” his wife replied calmly. “You may be the main ingredient but I'll be the one doing all the hard work.”

“She's got you there.” said Tomoya. “Our wives are awesome, wouldn't you say?”

“Heh, for once we agree on something.” Akio replied as they kissed their wives.

XxX

Before they knew it the weekend had come at last. As agreed, Naoyuki signed the Okazaki home over to Tomoya and Nagisa. After that, Ushio spent the weekend with him while Tomoya, Nagisa and their friends moved everything from their apartment to the new home and then Youhei and Mei's things to the apartment. By the time they finished moving it was time for Naoyuki to leave town again.

“Thanks again for looking after Ushio.” Tomoya said as he and his father stood outside the entrance to the train station. “I don't think we would have been able to move everything if we had to watch Ushio at the same time.”

“It was no trouble at all Tomoya.”his father replied, smiling. “We are family, after all.”

“Yeah...we are.” Tomoya replied, smiling. “Say Dad, I've been thinking. The next time you come visit, I'd like for you to stay with us. I know we haven't talked much in recent years but I'd like to change that. We are family, after all.”

“If that's how you feel, I'll be happy to accept the next time I'm in town.” his father said after a long pause. “The time I spent with Ushio...it made me think of the past. In a good way of course. You've done a wonderful job raising her, son. You should be proud. I know I am.”

“I...thanks, Dad.” Tomoya said as they embraced.


	6. Season's Greetings

XxX

Chapter 6: Season's Greetings

XxX

 

The first snowfall of the season held a special meaning to the Okazaki family. For one, Nagisa and Ushio shared a birthday. The first snowfall was also a good indication they had a few days more at the most before Nagisa became took sick to venture outside. The stress being pregnant put on her body probably meant they had less time than they'd hoped. With a cure within sight the only question now if the drug could be developed before Nagisa's health suddenly changed.

Today Nagisa and Tomoya decided to bring Ushio with them to one Nagisa's weekly checkups. Nagisa would see Dr. Suou for her illness and her regular doctor for her pregnancy. This appointment was made a little more special because Nagisa was getting an ultrasound and that meant Ushio would get to see her new sibling for the first time.

“Okazaki.” The receptionist called. “Dr. Honda will see you now. Right this way.” The family followed the receptionist to a room that contained a bed with a large machine next to it. There was also a desk and a few chairs that lined two of the wall. Sitting at the desk was a middle-aged woman wearing a white lab coat. The hospital ID card on her coat identified her as Kaihime Honda.

“Thank you for coming, Nagisa.” the doctor said, looking up. “Ah, so this is the famous Ushio I've heard so much about. A pleasure to finally meet you.”

“And you must be the famous Dr. Honda I've been hearing about.” Ushio replied. “Nice to meet you, too. Can you really make the baby show on TV? Daddy says you can but that's impossible! It's not even close to being born yet!”

“It's very possible, Ushio.” Dr. Honda replied as she smiled. “In fact, it's part of the checkup for the baby.”

“You can give the baby a checkup?” Ushio asked in surprise.

“That's why we're here.” Tomoya replied. 

“That's right.” Nagisa added as she sat on the bed. “Let's get started.”

“First we'll check some information.” Dr. Honda said. “What is your date of birth?”

“December 24.” Nagisa and Ushio said in unison.

“They were born on the same day.” Tomoya explained. “Another 3 minutes and Ushio would've been born on Christmas.”

“That makes that day extra-special I'd bet.” Dr. Honda remarked thoughtfully. “The baby's only five months along so it will probably be born in early April. I'm sure that'll be a nice change for you, Mr. Okazaki.”

“My birthday's in October so it'll be different alright.” he replied. “And the timing is safer for Nagisa and the baby.”

“Now we're going to measure the baby.” Dr. Honda said as she grabbed measuring tape from her desk and walked over to the bed. She helped Nagisa lie back before unrolling the tape across her the length of her midsection. Nagisa started showing a few weeks ago but she could still fit into her own clothes without much difficulty. If not for her otherwise small size one wouldn't have suspected she was with child.

“How's it look?” Tomoya asked.

“The baby seems to be growing nicely.” she replied. “It's positioning is a concern but it should correct itself in another month or two.”

“Positioning?” Nagisa asked.

“The ideal position would be for it to be head down.” the doctor explained, pointing to a chart on the wall next to the bed. “Right now, the baby is sideways. That could make the birth a bit more complicated than it needs to be. More so if it turns head up.”

“What happens if it goes head up?” Ushio asked. Nagisa and Tomoya shot each other a look. They knew what it could mean but Ushio was too young to understand.

“It's ok.” Dr. Honda said to them, guessing at what they were thinking. “If it turns head up Ushio, your Mommy will have to have an operation to get the baby out.”

“Oh.” she replied. “Well, I hope that doesn't happen.”

“That make two of us.” Tomoya remarked as Nagisa lifted up her shirt.

“And now for the moment you've been waiting for Ushio.” Dr. Honda said as she turned on the ultrasound machine. “Presenting your new baby!” All eyes were on the monitor as they beheld the new life growing inside Nagisa.

“Wow...it looks like a baby!” Ushio exclaimed in amazement.

“Of course it does.” Tomoya replied. “What did you think it would look like?”

“Well, I'm pretty sure human babies don't have tails.” Dr. Honda remarked thoughtfully.

“The baby has a tail?!” Nagisa asked in surprise. 

“No, but if you'd like I could tell you if it'll be a boy or a girl.” The doctor replied, smiling.

“Tomoya and I talked about it and we decided we want to wait until it's born to know.” said Nagisa as she squeezed her husband's hand. “We haven't talked about it with Ushio though.”

”Then we can find out right now.” Dr. Honda said as she turned to the first grader. “Would you like to know if you're going to have a brother or sister?”

“Umm...only if Mommy and Daddy don't find out.” she replied cautiously. 

“I don't think that'll be a problem.” the doctor said as she whispered something into her ear.

“Wow, really?” Ushio asked in surprise. 

“Remember, it's a secret.” Dr. Honda replied, adding “And congratulations on being a big sister.”

XxX

“Hey, Okazaki!” Youhei greeted as Tomoya, Nagisa and Ushio walked into the restaurant. 

“I'm pretty sure we've had this conversation before.” Nagisa remarked thoughtfully. 

“Hey, you're right.” he said. “Sorry, old habit and all. By the way, thanks for setting Mei up with the part time job here. She makes the best desserts ever!”

“Glad I could help.” Nagisa replied as the family sat down. “She loves working here.”

“That's the third thing I owe you guys now.” Sunohara remarked. 

“And believe me, we intend to collect.” Tomoya added. “So how's the apartment?”

“Not bad at all, actually.” he replied. “It's made things much easier for Tomoyo and her plans for the future.”

“I wonder what she's up to this time?” Nagisa asked.

“Sorry, I promised I wouldn't tell anyone yet.” Youhei replied. “She wanted to talk about it with her family before she told anyone else.”

“Must be something big if she doesn't want anyone to know.” Tomoya remarked as Mei came to the table wearing a waitress uniform.

“Looks like you couldn't get it out of him, either.” Mei said, alerting the customers to her presence. “I don't even know what the big secret is.”

“That's because if I told you the whole neighborhood would find out!” he shot back.

“Tell me or I'll never make those parfaits you like so much anymore!” exclaimed.

“Oh yeah, well then I won't buy you albums with Yusuke's autograph anymore!” Sunohara shot back.

“You wouldn't...!” she replied quietly.

“Care to find out?” he replied as he took his cellphone out of his pocket.

“If you do that Youhei, then I'll...I'll tell everyone on Facebook you sing and dance for Tomoyo in front of the bathroom mirror!” she exclaimed.

“That's not so bad.” Nagisa remarked. “My Dad does it for my Mom all the time.”

“What if I told you he does it butt-naked?” Mei asked, to which Nagisa and Tomoya's eyes widened in surprise.

“OKAY, OKAY YOU WIN!” Youhei exclaimed in horror before whispering something into his sister's ear. After doing that, he turned to the Okazaki family and said 'This conversation never happened.”

“I can only hope Ushio wasn't mentally scarred like I was.” Tomoya replied as he rose to leave. “I'm going to go outside for some air.” A few moments after he walked into the parking lot he was joined by his daughter. While Ushio inherited her mother's looks, it was obvious to all who met her that she was Tomoya's daughter. Like him, she had a very independent disposition.

“It looks like it's going to snow soon.” she said after a few minutes of silence.

“You think so?” he asked in surprise. “I thought for sure we'd have more time. Guess it can't be helped I guess. Maybe we should pick out a Christmas/Birthday Tree.”

“You guys don't have a Christmas Tree yet?” The pair looked up in surprise to see Kyou and Ryou had arrived. It was Kyou who'd spoken. “Another week and you'll have to cut down your own.”

“Hey Kyou, Ryou.” Tomoya greeted in turn.

“Hi Ms. Fujibayashi and Nurse Fujibayashi.” Ushio greeted.

“Hehe, I'm pretty sure I've told you that you can call me by my first name outside school.” Kyou remarked.

“It's too weird.” Ushio replied, making a face. 

“That face.” Kyou thought to herself. “She's his daughter alright.”

“By the way, Ushio mentioned the other day her school was looking for someone to direct a play being planned for the holidays.” Tomoya said. “Have you found anyone yet?”

“Not yet.” Kyou replied. “I'm glad I ran into you, actually.” I was hoping to get a member of our High School Drama Club to do it. Ryou and I are out and Kotomi's busy with her research. That leaves you, Nagisa and Sunohara.”

“Well, Nagisa and Sunohara are inside if you want to talk to them about it.” Tomoya replied. 

“I know that answer!” Kyou exclaimed. “If both of them say no then it's you by default!”

“I don't remember saying I'll do it.” Tomoya pointed out.

“That may be true, but you do have a reputation for helping people in need.” Ryou countered. 

“Yeah Daddy, you should be nice to Ms. Fujibayashi.” Ushio chimed in as the sisters burst into laughter.

“Ha, you tell him Ushio!” Kyou exclaimed triumphantly.

“...Let's just ask Nagisa and Sunohara before we say for sure.” Tomoya replied. “Come on, they're inside.” Tomoya led the twins to the table where he'd left Nagisa and Sunohara. They arrived just as Nagisa finished paying the bill.

“Mommy, look who we found!” Ushio announced.

“Kyou, Ryou, how wonderful to see you.” Nagisa greeted warmly.

“The pleasure's all mine.” Ryou replied.

“Say Nagisa, Sunohara, you know about the holiday play coming up, right?” Kyou asked.

“Sure, but what about it?” Youhei asked.

“The thing is, we've been looking for someone to direct the play and I was hoping to ask one of you to do it.” she explained. “It turns out the principal saw both Nagisa and her father perform in their younger days. When I told him I was a member of our old Drama Club he kinda strong-armed me into asking one of you guys to direct.”

“Sure, I don't mind.” Nagisa and Youhei said unison. This took Tomoya and the twins by surprise.

“Whoa, what?!” Tomoya said in shock. “Sunohara, you serious?”

“Sure I'm serious.” he replied. “Don't forget I worked as a model before my sudden career change.”

“A failed career run as I recall.” Mei pointed out as Tomoya and Kyou snickered.

“And to be honest, I'd feel more comfortable if Nagisa was directing the play.” Kyou added. “This is a play for young children and their families.”

“I don't mind splitting the director's chair with Sunohara.” Nagisa offered. “I kinda owe him one for helping me revive the Drama Club when we were in high school.”

“If Nagisa's ok with it then I guess I can't argue.” said Tomoya, smiling. “After all, it's usually around this time of year Nagisa's health takes a turn for the worse.”

“Then it's settled.” said Kyou. “Come to the school sometime this week so we can iron out the details of this job.”

“Sounds like fun!” Sunohara exclaimed, grinning.

“Ok, so what's the real reason you want to do this so bad?” Mei whispered to her brother.

“Tomoyo, of course.” he replied. “She did tell me I needed a hobby!”


	7. Happy Birthday!

\---

Chapter 7: Happy Birthday!

\---

The first thing Ushio noticed when she awoke was the smell of something good. She wandered into the kitchen where she found her mother cooking breakfast. “Good morning, Ushio.” Nagisa greeted, pausing from her work.

“Good morning, Mommy.” she replied as she hugged her mother. “And good morning, Shio.” That was the name she chose for the baby until it was born. Of course, it was one letter short of her own name but after a week it stuck. Much to her parents' surprise she took the secret of the baby's gender very seriously. She wouldn't tell any of their friends no matter how much they asked. The front door suddenly opened and in came Akio.

“Akki!” Ushio exclaimed as she leaped into the arms of her grandfather. 

“Merry Christmas, Ushio!” he replied as he twirled her in the air.

“Christmas is the tomorrow.” she pointed out.

“Not today.” he said as he put her down. “We're starting a day early! What do you think of that?”

“Good morning, Dad.” Nagisa said as she hugged her father. “Wait, where's Mom?”

“Hey, I was gonna ask you that.” he replied in surprise. “I woke up this morning to find a note next to me saying she was coming over. Maybe Tomoya knows.”

“That's funny.” Nagisa said as she moved to turn off the stove. “When I woke up this morning, there was a note next to me saying he was going to the bakery.”

“Well I'll be damned.” Akio said after a long pause. “So they actually went and did it.”

“You know where they went?” Ushio asked.

“I'm afraid so, Ushio.” he replied as he affectionately patted her head. “Sanae and Tomoya...have run off together!”

“WHAT?” Nagisa exclaimed in surprise. “You're kidding!”

“Sorry, but the facts don't lie.” Akio said as he pulled Nagisa and Ushio close. “Think about it. Both Tomoya and Sanae took off without telling either of us and nobody knows where they are. It's the only possible explanation!”

“What's this about Tomoya and Mrs. Furukawa going missing?” A new voice asked. The three turned to see Kyou, Ryou and Kotomi had arrived. It was Kyou who spoke. “If you're looking for them, I'm sure we saw them at the Post Office on the way here.”

“Oh, what a relief.” Nagisa said. “For a minute there I thought Tomoya and my Mom really did run off together. If they did, I don't know what I'd do.”

“What would give you that idea?” Ryou asked as Kyou glared at Akio.

“That's what Akki said happened.” Ushio explained.

“You're just as bad as Sunohara you know that?” Kyou said as she face-palmed. “Kotomi, would you mind going over to the Post Office and filling them in?”

“Sure.” she replied before going back outside. 

“Ryou, why don't you help Nagisa and Ushio set the table?” Kyou suggested as she grabbed Akio by the arm and dragged him to the next room. “Grandpa and I are going to have a little chat...”

“Uh-Oh.” he said before the door closed behind them. The sounds of Akio's terrified screams erupted from the room a few moments later.

XxX

“Now that it's arrived, the tradition can continue.” Sanae said after Tomoya signed for the large package addressed to him. 

“You said it.” he replied as he grinned. “I went through a lot of trouble getting these but it was worth it for Nagisa and Ushio. Now all we need to do is hurry back to my place. Kotomi and the twins should be there now to keep them occupied.” When they stepped outside the Post Office they were surprised to see Kotomi standing there.

“Kotomi?” Tomoya said in surprise. “Weren't you going over to my place with the twins?”

“That's where they are actually.” she replied. “Kyou asked me to find you two. Apparently there's been a misunderstanding.”

“Misunderstanding?” Sanae asked as she and Tomoya exchanged a look.

“Akio told Nagisa and Ushio you left them and ran off together.” Kotomi replied casually. Sanae and Tomoya gasped, each turning red in the face at the very idea.

“If I had to guess, Kyou's beating some sense into him as we speak.” Tomoya remarked, sighing. “He's just as bad as Sunohara.”

“That's exactly what Kyou said now that you mention it.” Kotomi said thoughtfully as she smiled.

“We'd better head over there and straighten things out.” Sanae as she started toward Tomoya's car. 

“If we're lucky the old man will still be in one piece.” Tomoya said as he put the box in the car. “Come on, Kotomi.” They started in the direction of the Okazaki home but Tomoya drove to the bakery instead. 

“What are we doing here?” Sanae asked.

“I've got a favor I want to ask you...” Tomoya said as he whispered something into her ear. “...What do you think?”

“Sure, I can do that.” she replied. She got out of the car and disappeared inside.

“What was that about?” Kotomi asked. 

“Let's just say Sanae's going to give Akio his Christmas present a day early.” Tomoya replied as he grinned.

XxX

When Tomoya, Sanae and Kotomi got back they found Tomoyo, Youhei, Mei, Yukine Miyazawa and Fuko had arrived as well. Everyone stopped what they were doing upon seeing Sanae and Tomoya had arrived. 

“Hey, Tomoya.” Tomoyo greeted. 

“Where have you been all this time?” Mei asked.

“Can you believe the crazy story your father in law told Nagisa and Ushio?” Youhei asked.

“It's not true, is it?” Miyazawa asked worriedly.

“Glad you can make it, we were at the post office, yes and no.” Tomoya replied to each of them in turn as he set the package down next to the Christmas tree. 

“What's in the box?” Nagisa asked.

“I'll let you and Ushio open it later.” Tomoya replied as he grinned. “First, Sanae and I have a little something to give to your Dad.”

“Merry Christmas, dear.” Sanae said as she handed the package she was holding to Akio.

“A present for me?” he asked in surprise as he opened it. His face paled when he saw the large pastry of varying colors staring back at him.

“Consider this payback for messing with my family.” Tomoya whispered to him. “I'd choke it down fast if I were you. She made it this morning.”

“You evil bastard.” Akio replied as he began to sweat. “If I survive this I am SO getting even!” 

“He's a dead man.” Youhei whispered as everyone watched Akio take a bite. Time seemed to slow as everyone anxiously awaited his reaction to Sanae's latest creation.

“Oh, my God.” he said as he took another bite. “Sanae, this is delicious!”

“WHAT?!” Tomoya, Nagisa, Kyou, Miyazawa, Youhei and Fuko exclaimed in unison. 

“You really mean it?” Sanae asked excitedly.

“You bet.” he replied as he continued to eat the pastry. Before long, he'd eaten the whole thing. “I sure had my doubts but you've really outdone yourself, Sanae. I loved it!”

“I'm glad you enjoyed it, my daring.” Sanae said as they two held hands.

“Is this for real?” Tomoya thought to himself.

“Now that Dad's enjoyed his present, I'm ready to enjoy mine.” Nagisa said as she smiled. “How about you, Ushio?”

“I'm ready!” she exclaimed excitedly.

“Help yourselves.” Tomoya said as he handed Nagisa a pair of scissors. Mother and daughter tore the box open to find nearly a dozen Dango plushies inside. They came in a variety of colors and sizes. The biggest doubled as a chair and the smallest fit in the palm of your hand. Nagisa and Ushio were overcome with joy.

“Whoa, that's a lot of Dango.” Ryou said in amazement. “How did you find all those, Tomoya?”

“I was in Sendai on business a few weeks ago and found them among a mountain of plushies that were being decontaminated.” he explained. “I asked that they be shipped here after they'd been cleaned but the box was too big for it to be delivered to the house. That's why I went to the post office this morning with Sanae to pick it up.”

“Wait, why didn't you tell me?” Akio asked. 

“I left you a note remember?” Sanae replied. “In the note I said I was going to meet up with Tomoya for something special.”

“Ah, so that's where he got that from.” said Kyou. “When you put it that way I can see why he would jump to the conclusion.”

“As per the time honored tradition, Nagisa and Ushio have to wait until tomorrow to open the rest of their presents.” said Tomoya. “Tomorrow is Christmas, after all.”

“I think I'll get started on dinner.” said Nagisa as she stood. “I'll come back for my share of the Dango later. Why don't you and Fuko play with them for a little while, Ushio?”

“Ok, Mommy.” Ushio replied. She grabbed as many of the plushies as she could carry and scampered over to her room, Fuko right behind her.

“I'll help Nagisa with dinner.” Sanae said as she walked over to her daughter.

“Mind if we help, too?” Tomoyo asked as she and Mei walked over to them.

“Sure, come on.” Nagisa said as she led them into the kitchen. As soon as they were gone, Akio collapsed.

“I'm amazed you hung on for as long as you did.” Tomoya said as Ryou examined him. “What's the prognosis?”

“Looks like he just has an upset stomach.” she replied as everyone sighed in relief. 

“I'm impressed he kept it in for so long.” Kyou remarked.

“Don't tell me you forgot I used to be a professional actor.” Akio said to their chagrin. “There's no way in hell I'm gonna keel over in front of my wife, daughter and granddaughter.”

“You're tough as nails, I'll give you that.” Sunohara remarked in amazement. “Me, I would've died on the spot.”

“Don't worry Tomoya, I'll pay you back when you least expect it.” Akio said as he slowly rose to his feet. “I think I'll go out for a bit. Tell the others I'll be back in time for dinner.”

“Nagisa!” Sanae suddenly exclaimed from the kitchen. Tomoya and Akio exchanged a look before they ran into the kitchen, the others close by. There they found Nagisa laying in the middle on the kitchen, motionless. Tomoya felt the color drain from his face as Akio picked her up and brought her to their bedroom. There Ryou checked her vital signs.

“She has a fever.” Ryou said after checking her temperature.

“She was fine until just now.” Mei said. “Should we take her to the hospital?”

“No, wait.” Akio said as he turned to Kotomi. “We were planning to make this a surprise but it looks like we're going to need Dr. Suou's present a little earlier than planned Did you bring it?”

“Yes, but it hasn't been tested yet.” Kotomi replied after a pause. “Given Nagisa's pregnant, Dr. Suou didn't want to try it until after she gave birth.”

“What do you mean?” Tomoya asked. 

“With any medication, extra care is needed when the patient is pregnant.” Ryou explained. “If there are side effects we don't know about, they could be passed on to the baby.”

“She's getting worse.” Sanae said as Nagisa started breathing heavily. “We need to bring her temperature down or she'll lose the baby!”

“You need to make a decision, Tomoya.” Tomoyo said to him. “Do you want to try the medicine or do you want to call an ambulance?”

“They don't know how to treat her illness so going to hospital won't do any good.” Tomoya remarked thoughtfully. “If the medicine doesn't work we're no worse than we are now. The baby might not be able to survive this early, either. Kotomi, I want you and Ryou to do what you can to save Nagisa.”

“I'll do my best.” she said as turned to leave. “I left the prototype in my car. I'll be right back.” She returned with the medicine and a syringe a few minutes later, handing then to Ryou. “Inject that into her neck. It should take effect right away.”

Everyone held their breath as the potentially life-saving medicine was administered. Ryou rubbed the injection area to help spread the medicine throughout Nagisa's body. Tomoya squeezed Nagisa's hand, her mother the other. After several tense minutes Nagisa stirred. The medicine was working.

“The fever's disappearing!” Ryou exclaimed as Nagisa slowly sat up. “Looks like it worked!”

“Tomoya...?” Nagisa said as Tomoya and her parents hugged her.

“Thank you, Kotomi.” Tomoya said as tears slid down his face. “And my thanks to Dr. Suou as well.”

“That was a strong dose.” Kotomi noted. “I don't know if the illness is hereditary but chances are good we won't have to find out. The vaccine should pass on to the baby.”

XxX

“Where did everybody go?” Fuko asked as she and Ushio asked as they emerged from Ushio's room.

“We'll fill you in later.” Akio said as everyone emerged from Tomoya and Nagisa's room. “Thanks for looking after Ushio for us.”

“Is Mommy sick again?” Ushio asked.

“Yes, but she's fine now.” Sanae said as she smiled. “Kotomi gave her and us the best Christmas/Birthday present ever.”

“Let's just say your mother will never get sick like that ever again, Ushio.” Kyou explained. The little girl gasped in amazement, ran into her parents' room and jumped into their arms.

“Happy Birthday, Mommy!” she exclaimed as tears filled her eyes.

“Happy Birthday, Ushio.” Nagisa replied as she cried tears of joy.


	8. A Winter's Veil

As she rolled out of bed, Fuko had the feeling something was different about today. She ran to the front door and opened it. To her surprise it was dark outside. She blinked in surprise when she realized what she was looking at. She tried to close the door but the cold, soft snow tumbled into the house.

“Kouko!” she called upstairs. “We have a visitor!”

“I don't think any people are going to be able to come over, Fuko.” Yusuke said as he came downstairs holding a shovel in one hand. He was dressed for the weather and set to work pushing the snow back outside. 

“There was a blizzard last night.” Kouko said as she came downstairs holding the baby. “All the streets are blocked. School's been canceled and many people can't get to work.”

“I'm pretty sure some people lost power from the storm.” Yusuke said as he began to dig a path to the street. “Once I've reconnected us to the outside world, I'll head over to the office.” Fuko looked outside to see the snow reached the second floor of the house. 

“Could this be the end of the world?” She asked her sister. “What if we're the only people who survived the storm?”

“You need to give our species a little more credit, Fuko.” Kouko replied as she smiled. “I can hear the sounds of shovels nearby. That means our neighbors are trying to dig themselves out, too.”

“What a way to start the new year.” Yusuke said as he chuckled. “I think I'll call Tomoya and find out how his family''s doing. Ushio was born during the last big blizzard we had 6 years ago, after all.” Just as Yusuke reached the phone, it rang.

“Yoshino and Ibuki Residence.” he replied. “What? You're kidding! How are they doing now? That's a relief. I see. Right, I'll tell them, too. We'll be over in a little while.”

“What was that about?” Kouko asked.

“That was Tomoya.” he explained. “It seems Youhei tried to drive in the middle of the blizzard and crashed into a snowbank. Luckily he was near Furukawa Bakery and he's staying there now. The Furukawas lost power and he wanted me to help him get the lights back on. He planned on bringing Nagisa and Ushio with him and wanted to know if you and Fuko could come over, too.”

“If Ushio is there, Fuko doesn't mind.” Fuko replied.

“Sounds like it could be exciting.” Kouko added, smiling. “Let's go together!”

XxX

“Honestly, Youhei!” Mei scolded. “You're lucky you didn't freeze to death!” 

“Thank you for calling us, Nagisa.” Tomoyo said as Youhei drank a cup of hot chocolate. “She may not want to admit it in front of you guys but Mei was worried sick when her brother didn't come home last night. In fact, she was about to go looking for him when you called.”

“Well, it wouldn't have been any good if I went down last night.” Youhei said as he smiled weakly. “Not if you knew what I know about Tomoyo!”

“What, is she pregnant or something?” Tomoya asked as he entered the room.

“Goodness, no!” Youhei and Tomoyo exclaimed in unison.

“We're not ready for kids right now.” Tomoyo added.

“Neither were we when we had Ushio.” Tomoya pointed out. “It's not a question about weather you're ready or not. It's how you react when it happens.”

“Well said.” Akio said as he entered the room. “Fuko and her family have arrived. Yusuke's waiting for you outside.”

“Guess it's my cue to go.” Tomoya said as he grinned. “We'll see about getting the power back on. You coming, Youhei?”

“Not unless you plan to carry me back inside in a body bag.” he replied as he took a long pull from the drink in his hands. 

“Have it your way.” Tomoya said as he left the room with Akio. Even though the power was out the ovens could still be used. Since it was all they could do, the Furukawas did what they do best: bake bread. The smell of baking bread brought in customers brave enough to navigate the snow covered roads. Nagisa and Kouko had just finished putting a tray of muffins on display when Kotomi and the Twins arrived. 

“Goodness, you look like you're ready to climb Mt. Fuji.” Kouko said to them, smiling. “Glad you could make it.”

“Today, we're offering our customers a cup of Mom's famous Hot Chocolate just for making it through the storm.” Nagisa added as she pointed to the steaming mugs sitting on the counter. Although the lights were out, the candles set up in the bakery provided enough light to move around the room. After grabbing a cup for themselves, the girls sat at the table set up next to the register with Nagisa.

“We saw Tomoya and Yusuke on the way in.” said Kyou. “It's pretty handy having one of the electric company's executives in the family. If that's not quality service, I don't know what is.”

“Tomoya was nice enough to work out a deal for the exclusive rights to my Fusion Reactor.” Kotomi added thoughtfully. “Once the new power plant has been built, it will provide electricity to everyone in Japan.”

“My, that's convenient.” said Kyou. “You're barely 25 and you're already a millionaire. At the very least this makes you the most attractive bachelorette in town.”

“Oh, I wouldn't go that far.” Kotomi replied as he face reddened.

“Wait, you mean you've found someone?” Ryou asked as Nagisa and Kyou looked on in surprise.

“I didn't just find someone.” Kotomi said as she displayed a ring on her hand. Ryou and Nagisa recognized it as an engagement ring and looked at each other, then Kotomi in stunned silence.

“I-I don't believe it.” Kyou whispered. “How can this be? HOW COULD KOTOMI GET MARRIED BEFORE ME!”

XxX

“Did you hear something?” Yusuke asked Tomoya as they worked outside.

“I think that was Kyou.” he replied, shrugging. 

XxX

“What was that?” Youhei asked as he and Tomoyo peered down the hall in the direction the shout had come from.

“And then there was one.” Tomoyo remarked as she smiled. “Sounds like she just found out she's the last of us who's still single.”

“Ah, that's right.” he replied thoughtfully. “Yukine and Sasaki married last year and Ryou's engaged, too. I wonder if she's even seeing anyone?”

“Not since high school.” Tomoyo replied. “You probably already know this but she tried really hard to hook up with Tomoya. I did too of course but little did either of us know he'd already given his heart to Nagisa.”

“And a few years later you decided to give your heart to me.” Youhei said as he held her close. “Being with you, I've come to understand the kind of happiness Tomoya's been trying to tell me about. There are simply no words for it. What do you say we share the good news with them?”

“To be honest, I feel bad about possibly making Kyou even more depressed.” she replied. “But at this point they'd be mad if they didn't hear it from me first.” At that moment, the lights in the room came on. The power had been restored. Cheers erupted from the bakery below them to confirm it.

“Looks like we have no choice now.” Youhei said as he grinned. “Let's head downstairs.”

“Are you sure you're ok to move?” she asked.

“I'll be fine as long as I'm with you, Tomoyo.” Youhei replied as he squeezed her hand.

XxX

“That takes care of the neighborhood.” Yusuke announced as he, Tomoya, Fuko and Ushio entered the bakery. “Turns out that pole distributes power to everyone in the area. I'd like to avoid a repeat of this so I'll have a crew come down and reroute the lines to prevent widespread power loss when the weather is better.”

“Look who's feeling better!” Tomoyo announced as she and Youhei entered the bakery.

“Are you sure you're ok to be moving around?” Tomoya asked. “You look like you're about to pass out.”

“Forget about that for now.” he replied as he smiled. “Since you're all here, I have some very good news for all of you. Tomoyo is running for mayor!” There was a collective silence as everyone took in what he said. While this was big news, it wasn't exactly what they were expecting.

“And we're getting married.” Tomoyo added for effect. This time everyone erupted into applause.

“Congratulations!” Kouko exclaimed.

“Good luck with the election!” said Sanae. 

“Don't worry, we're all going to vote for you!” Tomoya added.

“This calls for a celebration.” Akio chimed in a bid to not be left out.

“I think it would be best if we waited until after the snow melts.” Fuko noted. 

“So, when's the big day going to be?” Kyou asked Tomoyo.

“I was thinking April 7.” She replied, glancing sideways at Nagisa and Tomoya, who were talking to Youhei. “I'm probably going to be really busy really soon and decided to go with a time I'd be free yet at the same time Nagisa could come. We didn't even get to go to their wedding, after all.”

“Wait, did you just say April 7?” Ryou interjected. “That's when I'm getting married!”

“Oh, what a coincidence.” Kotomi said. “That's when I'm getting married.”

“Excuse me.” Tomoya said he and Nagisa turned to them. “Did all of you say your wedding is on the same day?”

“Believe me, we're all just as surprised as you.” Tomoyo replied. Suddenly, a scary thought crossed her mind. “Wait...don't tell me. Is Nagisa due on April 7, too?”

 

“Oh, no.” Nagisa replied. “I'm due on April 6.”

“T-that's...” Ryou stammered.

“The day before...” Kotomi added.

“Our wedding!” Youhei exclaimed.

“And of the four, you can't exactly ask Nagisa to reschedule when she goes into labor.” Mei noted. “It looks like you guys have no choice but to work this out.”

“No kidding.” Ryou added. “I'd feel really bad if Nagisa, Ushio and Tomoya had to miss any of our weddings. I'll call Kappei and see if we can work this out.”

“Now that I think of it, I don't think we've met Ryou's fiance.” Tomoyo noted. “Or Kotomi's, for that matter.”

“Hey, why don't we have a group date?” Youhei suggested. “Four couples having a night on the town to remember. It could make for some good publicity for Kotomi and Tomoyo, too.”

“That sounds like a good idea, actually.” said Tomoya. “I'll call everyone when Nagisa and I have time off.”

“You'll need a babysitter for Ushio.” Mei pointed out. “I happily volunteer!”

“You can't do that!” Fuko shot back. “Fuko babysits Ushio! You can't have her!”

“This can't end well.” Kyou whispered to Tomoya, who was trying not to laugh.

“We may have a fight on our hands.” he whispered back.

“Well, maybe we can babysit her together.” Mei offered. 

“Say, that is a good idea!” Fuko exclaimed.

“Alright, let's do it...together!” Mei cheered as Kyou and Tomoya looked at the pair in amazement, Nagisa and Ryou oblivious to what they were just talking about.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I have to admit I was tempted a few times to segway this chapter into a partial crossover with my Ah! My Goddess! Fanfic. I decided against it due to the setup involved. Those familiar with the Visual Novel should recognize the name of Ryou's fiance. Those familiar with the Warring States Period or played Samurai Warriors or saw Sengoku Basra (the Anime) should find the name of Kotomi's fiance very familiar. He's not based one one of those characters but just has the name =O


	9. The Lovers' Temple

The weeks seemed to fly by after the triple wedding announcement. As winter began to thaw, Sanae and Akio decided to take a trip to visit a certain temple. This wasn't just any temple. This was the temple where Akio proposed to Sanae. Since then they'd made it a point to come back every year to visit the old temple. They hadn't been to the temple since the year Nagisa was born. For them, it was like visiting an old friend. The cherry trees were in full bloom and there were already several patrons at the temple.

“How time flies.” Akio said as they walked along one of the paths along the temple grounds. “Hard to believe it's been over 20 years. It feels like it was just last week you made me the happiest man in Japan.”

“So much has happened since then.” Sanae replied as they held hands. “It's nice to be able to reflect on one's achievements in life and look forward to what tomorrow may bring.” A gentle breeze swept through the temple grounds. Akio and Sanae paused to enjoy the moment. 

“This is the perfect place to be for couples in love.” said Akio as he grinned. “Maybe we should tell the engaged couples about this place when we get back.”

“Come to think of it, I don't think we've told Tomoya and Nagisa about this temple.” Sanae said after a pause. “I know we promised to keep this trip a secret from them but I think it would be nice for them when Ushio is a little older.”

“Did I just hear—oh, it's you two.” Akio and Sanae turned to see Naoyuki Okazaki sitting on a bench overlooking the stream that ran alongside the temple. “I'm glad to see I wasn't the only one with fond memories of this place. It makes my first visit in over 20 years more meaningful.”

“That's what I was just thinking.” said Akio. “Wait...you don't mean...”

“This was where I proposed to Atsuko.” he replied. “It was a special time for both of us, but I treasure our last visit here the most. It was a few days before Tomoya was born. I remember it like it was yesterday...”

XxX

Flashback to once upon a time...

The warm air was a comforting breeze to the pair as they watched the sun slip below the horizon. The young couple had spent the day at the temple and wanted to end it on a romantic note. The two held hands as they watched the night sky fill with stars. “I'm going to miss being able to come here as much as we want, Suko.” Naoyuki said as he smiled. “We're going to have to bring the baby here sometime when she's old enough.”

“Yeah, we could make it a tradition Yuki.” Atsuko replied as she took an apple from the picnic basket that sat between them. “I just can't wait to see what he looks like.”

“This is what I get for not wanting to find out the sex of the baby before it's born.” Naoyuki said, laughing. “Can you imagine if we had a son with your raunchy sense of humor?”

“I'd prefer that to a daughter with your overcautious nature.” Atsuko teased. “She'd never want to leave this house if I had to guess.”

“Come on, I'm not that bad!” he shot back, his face turning a little red. “I did get you pregnant, after all! No one thought I'd do something like that!” At this they both laughed.

“Tell me about it.” she said, rubbing her belly. “Weather it's a boy or a girl, this kid's our greatest collaboration. Once he's born it'll be our job to raise him well. We're bringing him into this world so the least we can do is show him the ropes.”

“Hopefully she'll meet someone special like I did one day.” Naoyuki added as he covered Atsuko's hand with his own.

“First things first we should probably come up with a name.” Atsuko noted. “That's the last thing we have yet to decide on before he comes.”

“How about we leave that one for the big day?” Naoyuki proposed. “Maybe seeing the baby for the first time will be all the inspiration we'll need to pick out the perfect name.”

“Only if you're there with me Yuki.” she replied. “You promised, after all. I want you by my side when while I'm giving birth to our child. Think you can handle it?”

“H-Honestly, I'm terrified.” Naoyuki replied, his face turning pale. “Mom said when she was born Grandpa had to wait in the hallway until she was born.”

“Same with my parents.” she said, laughing. “Well, times are different from then. Besides, we're barely out of high school Yuki. If you're there with me then I'll know this is for real.”

“Count me in, Suko.” Naoyuki said as he held her hands. “No matter how tough it gets, I promise I'll be at your side. It'll be an honor.”

“I don't know about that honor part.” Atsuko remarked as she grinned. “They say there's nothing more scary for a man than being with his wife in labor for the first time.”

“I-I'm not afraid!” Naoyuki declared as he stood. “Come on, Atsuko!”

“Where are we going?” she asked.

“To buy a jock strap!” he declared. “God knows I'm gonna need it!”

XxX

“Man, I wish I thought of that!” Akio exclaimed as he and Naoyuki burst into laughter. “Good thinking getting protection for your baby maker!”

“Come on, I wasn't that bad.” said Sanae. 

“Are you kidding?” Akio shot back. “As soon as the nurse left with Nagisa, you grabbed my balls and said “no more sex without condoms!”. I thought you were going to break my manhood!”

“Jeez Akio I was in labor!” Sanae exclaimed. “All I could think about was the person who put me there and how much it hurt!”

“That's the same thing Suko said to me the day after Tomoya was born.” said Naoyuki. “Despite that she said she wouldn't mind going through with it all over again.”

“Oh, yes.” Sanae added. “I've thought about that many times over the years. With Nagisa's unpredictable health problems we didn't think it would be fair to her to have a baby while she was still young. We were so caught up in her teenage years the thought disappeared from my mind until recently. Thanks to Kotomi, Nagisa can live her life without fear.”

“Suko would be proud of Tomoya if she could see him today.” Naoyuki said as he watched the sun beginning to set. “That reminds me. I'll have to tell him about the temple when I get back. I don't suppose I could ask you two a favor?”

“By all means ask away.” Akio replied, adding “You're my brother in law after all.”

“If your next child's a girl, name her after my beloved.” he said, standing and walking away. 

“Hey, how did you know we were going to have sex?” Akio called after him.

“You're standing on the very spot Tomoya was conceived.” he replied, not turning around. “According to an old legend, that spot has a 100% fertility rate. Now that you know how special this place is to the three of us I can tell. I'll be in touch.”

As they watched him leave Sanae and Akio couldn't help but smile. “Tomoya's very lucky to have that man for a father.” Sanae said.

“Yeah.” Akio added. “Atsuko must have been one hell of a woman. I wish we could have met her.”


	10. Friends and Family

“Hey, guys.” Youhei said as he and Tomoyo arrived holding a picnic basket between them. Even though they were holding it between them Tomoya could tell it was a heavy load. He was about to offer to help when Tomoyo took the basket herself and placed in on the table. The look of relief on Youhei's face told him she likely let him carry it with her to look good in front of everyone.

“That's a big basket.” Ryou remarked. “You must have packed a lot of food.”

“All home made.” Youhei said, proudly adding “I made a few dishes myself!” Everyone looked to Tomoyo for confirmation, who nodded grinning.

“For once he's not showboating.” she replied. “I think you'll be as surprised as I was when I sampled some of them.”

“Wow, if it's got Tomoyo's seal of approval it must be good.” Kyou remarked.

“Hey, where's Nagisa and Kotomi?” Tomoyo asked.

“Nagisa had to go to the bathroom and I didn't want her to go alone.” Tomoya explained. “By the way, Yukine came too. She's picking flowers for our big picnic table.”

“Hey, wait a minute Tomoya!” Kyou exclaimed. “You were just about to tell us who you got to babysit Ushio. Come on, out with it! Ryou, Tomoyo and I are here so who did you get?”

“Heh. You wouldn't believe me if I told you.” he replied as Yukine joined them.

“Who won't believe what?” Yukine asked as she put the towers in the vase that sat in the middle of the large picnic table.

“Tomoya was just about to tell us who's babysitting Ushio today.” Ryou explained. “As I recall, Mei and Fuko were arguing about which of them should babysit her before agreeing to do it together.”

“I see.” Miyazawa replied. 

“So which of them did you pick?” Youhei asked. “Come on, I'm dying to know!”

“Well...Nagisa and I agreed it wouldn't be fair to pick one of them since they were so adamant about working together.” Tomoya told them. “Out of fairness we decided not to ask the Yoshinos for obvious reasons. Akio and Sanae had plans they couldn't get out of so I called my Dad.” Youhei, Tomoyo and Kyou stared at Tomoya in stunned silence. They knew Tomoya and his father had been estranged until a few years ago but for him to agree to allow Ushio to spend time with her paternal grandfather alone was nothing short of astounding.

“I'm glad to see you've built that level of trust, Tomoya!” Yukine exclaimed, oblivious to the surprise of the others. 

“Yeah, I'm impressed.” Youhei said, finding his voice. “When we were in high school, you avoided talking about anything that had to do with your Dad. Now you trust him enough to let him babysit Ushio alone.”

“As Akio told me, he's as much her grandfather as he is.” Tomoya replied as his eyes drifted in the direction of the temple.”Well, that and...nevermind.” 

“Thinking about Nagisa's health?” Kyou asked after a long silence.

“And the baby's, yeah.” he replied quietly as he smiled gravely. “I saw the worst-case scenario when Ushio was born and although the drug Kotomi gave her cured her of the strange illness that kept her bedridden every winter, nothing can change the fact Nagisa has a weak constitution. With Ushio we were completely unprepared. This time at least her life won't be in danger. Besides, my Dad would be a tough act to follow.”

“It'll be alright, Tomoya.” Tomoyo said. “You're not in it alone. You've got all of us there to support you, Nagisa and Ushio.”

“That's right.” Yukine added. “If you need anything, all you need to do is ask.”

“You guys...thanks.” Tomoya said, at last letting the tears he was holding back to flow.

 

XxX

“Sorry for the sudden side trip, Nagisa.” Kotomi said as they stood outside the gates of the Lovers' Temple. “Kappei and Yukimora are coming together and I thought it would help if they saw a familiar face waiting for them.”

“Not a problem.” Nagisa replied as she ran a hand across her swelled belly. “I'm glad I'll be able to see the wedding before the baby's born. Even though the medicine you gave me stopped me from getting too sick to move I've decided to give birth at the hospital to be on the safe side.”

“That sounds like a good idea.” Kotomi replied as she spied two men walking toward them. “Oh, there they are. Over here, Yukimora!” She waved the two, who quickened their pace to catch up to them. 

“This place is beautiful.” Kappei said in surprise. “I'll have to thank your parents later, Nagisa.”

“Before I forget Yukimora, let me introduce you.” Kotomi said. “This is Nagisa Okazaki. She's the wife of Tomoya Okazaki, my first and only childhood friend. Nagisa and I met and became friends in high school where Tomoya and I reconnected. Nagisa, meet my fiance Yukimora Sanada.”

“No relation to the legendary samurai.” Yukimora added, grinning as he shook her hand. “It's an honor to meet you Nagisa. I look forward to meeting your husband as well.”

“They're further inside with the others.” said Kotomi. “Come on, we'll take you to them.” The four traveled through the grounds to the picnic area where everyone else had gathered. When they arrived the table had been set.

“We're back everyone!” Nagisa announced.

“Everyone, this is my Fiance Yukimora Sanada.” Kotomi introduced, adding “No relation to the samurai of the same name.”

“It's an honor to meet you all.” Yukimora said as his eyes fell on Tomoya. Nagisa walked over to him and slipped her hand into his. “You must be Tomoya. Kotomi has told me much about you. It's an honor to meet you at last.”

“The feeling's mutual.” Tomoya replied as they shook hands. “I see you met Nagisa already. I hope you're ok with sharing your big day with two other couples on account of us.”

“It's quite alright.” he replied with a chuckle. “Any friend of Kotomi's is a friend of mine. I'm sure Kappei and Youhei feel the same way as well. We've already decided to hold off the honeymoon until after Nagisa gives birth.”

“All of you?” Tomoya asked in surprise.

“That's right.” Kyou replied. “We all talked about and decided we wanted to be available for the first few weeks at least. Between the new baby, the new house and looking after Ushio while Nagisa recovers you're going to need all the help you can get.”

“We must have the greatest friends in the world huh Tomoya?” Nagisa asked.

“In more ways than one.” he said, grinning. As they sat down to eat Tomoya's thoughts drifted back to the memory that no longer was. 

Although Nagisa and Ushio were alive and well he could recall clear as day a different outcome to Ushio's birth. In the memory, Nagisa died after giving birth and Ushio died five years later. He'd told Nagisa about it before but until now he never gave it much thought. He could only hope he wasn't going to experience deja vu this time around.

“You ok, Tomoya?” Nagisa asked, snapping his attention back to reality.

“Just looking forward to the big day.” he replied, smiling bravely. “I'll be fine.”

“Well...if you say so.” she replied, shrugging. Suddenly Tomoya's cell phone rang. He raised an eyebrow when he saw the name of the caller before answering it.

“Tomoya here.” he said.

“Tomoya, you're not gonna believe it!” Akio exclaimed. “Nagisa's not going to be an only child anymore and you're going to be an uncle!”

“Whoa wait slow down.” Tomoya replied. 

“Tomoya, Sanae's pregnant!” Akio exclaimed.

“WHAT!” he exclaimed as he suddenly jumped to his feet. “You're kidding!”

“That's what I said just now!!” Akio replied. “We just found out. Looks like your dad was right about that spot on the Lover's Temple. It only took one try! Then again it shouldn't be a surprise seeing as you were conceived there and all.”

“Ok that last part I could have done without.” Tomoya said as he made face. “Even so, that's pretty impressive for you, old man. I'll pass the news on to Nagisa.”

“What was that about?” Nagisa asked after he ended the phone call.

“You're not going to believe this.” Tomoya said as he turned to her. “Nagisa, your mom's pregnant.” 

Nagisa gasped, he eyes widening in surprise. “My sibling and the new baby will be the same age!”

“And Ushio will be six years older than her aunt or uncle.” Tomoya added. “I know this isn't exactly uncommon these days especially in America but I'll trying to get over the fact they decided to have another baby with such a big age difference from you.”

“I'm ok with it.” she replied. “Though, now that I'm thinking about it either of us could say we had twins!”

“One step at a time, Nagisa.” Kyou said, sighing. “One step at a time.”


	11. The Lockdown

The church was packed with family, friends and well-wishers for the three weddings being conducted at the same time. The wedding was unprecedented not only because it was a group wedding but because of who was getting married: One was the renowned Professor Kotomi Ichinose. The other was mayoral candidate Tomoyo Sakagami. Many of Kotomi's friends and colleagues from America were in attendance as well.

“I wonder if all the attention will make Ryou nervous.” Tomoya said to Nagisa and Kyou, who sat next to him. “Most of the people here came because of Kotomi or Tomoyo.”

“She'll be fine.” Kyou replied. “She knows we're here for her and that's all that matters.”

“Say Tomoya, wasn't Yusuke going to be here?” Nagisa asked.

“There's a planned inspection at the power plant this morning.” he replied. “Both of us couldn't miss it so he volunteered to go so I could come to the wedding. It's a routine inspection so it shouldn't take too much time.” Suddenly all of the lights in the building went out.

“What's going on?” Nagisa asked.

“A short circuit?” Kyou asked. A moment later all the lights went back on.

“I'll ask Yusuke about it when he gets here.” Tomoya said to them. The Wedding March suddenly played on the organ and everyone stood to their feet. 

The doors of the center isle opened and in came Ushio and Tomoyo's half-sister Tomo, who were the flower girls. Tomo was sired by Tomoyo's father out of wedlock and came to live with Tomoyo when it was determined her mother was no longer fit to take care of her.

Following the flower girls were the brides themselves: Kotomi on the left, Tomoyo on the right and Ryou in the middle. All three of them wore an elegant white bridal gown. The grooms stood at the front of the front of the church smiling or grinning happily. Tomoya shook his head as he looked at his best friend.

“He won't be as happy when reality hits him.” he remarked as Nagisa's hand slipped into his. Once the brides had joined their respective grooms Tomo and Ushio sat down next to Kyou.

“You both were amazing out there.” Kyou said to them. “And you look so pretty.”

“Thanks, Ms. Fujibayashi.” Ushio replied as she smiled. 

“That's smile...just like Nagisa.” Kyou thought to herself. As the wedding ceremony proceeded Tomoya wondered how the marriage would affect Tomoyo's election. While it was likely Tomoyo and Youhei would wait until after the election to go on a honeymoon, there was little doubt reporters would start hanging around the electric company's offices to find out what they could about Sunohara. 

“Hey Tomoya.” Kyou whispered. “Does this mean we have to call her Sunohara now?”

“Didn't we already go through this six years ago?” he replied. “Just call her Tomoyo.” As had been decided beforehand the ordering of who would be say “I do” would be Ryou and Kappei, Kotomi and Yukimora and finally Tomoyo and Youhei.

“Ryou Fujibayshi, do you take this man to be your lawfully wedded husband?” the priest asked her.

“I do.” she replied as they held hands.

“Kappei Hiiragi, do you take this woman to be your lawfully wedded wife?” the priest asked.

“I do.” he replied.

“Then with the power vested in me, you may seal your commitment to each other with a kiss.” the priest said. With a kiss, their union had become official. Ryou and Kappei moved aside so that Kotomi and Yukimora could stand before the priest and exchange their vows. Before they could begin the doors of the church suddenly flew open. 

Everyone turned to see Yusuke and two police officers enter the church and walk down the aisle to Kotomi and Yukimora. Thinking quickly, Tomoya stepped into the aisle before the newcomers could get any closer to the couples.

“Yoshino, what's going on?” he asked.

“There was an accident with the new generator.” he explained. “The generator failed and power was lost in the entire region, effecting seven million people. Luckily the existing generator was set to kick in as a fail-safe. The problem is during the brief time power was lost the electronic locks at the nearby prison failed and many of the prisoners have escaped. Fortunately the main gates of the prison weren't compromised so none of them got out. Even so, given so many important people including the mayor and his opponent are all in one place the area's been cordoned off until the situation is brought under control.”

“There's no telling how long that could take.” Tomoya replied as he glanced in Nagisa's direction.

“I let the authorities know about Nagisa.” Yoshino said. “If you want to leave now, they'll provide an escort. You'll just need to stay indoors.”

“We'd be no better at home than here.” Tomoya noted. “We should be fine with Ryou here. I take it you're going to fill Kotomi in on what's happened?”

“That...and the possible lawsuits to come.” Yoshino replied. Tomoyo's eyes widened in surprise. “It would be one thing if it was just our town but power was interrupted in all of the surrounding towns and cities. The fusion generator is being used in Europe and North America too but on a much smaller scale. I wouldn't be surprised if she gets called in for questioning overseas over this.”

“I see.” Tomoya said after a long pause. “They're here to arrest her.”

“I'm afraid so.” he replied.

“Let her get married first.” he pleaded with the officers. “Don't let her wedding end like this.”

“Very well.” one of the officers replied. “I'm sure Detective Sanada would prefer it that way, too.”

“Detective...!” Tomoya exclaimed as they walked to where Kotomi and Yukimora stood. As soon as their marriage became official Kotomi and Yukimora quickly left the church with the officers. After Youhei and Tomoyo were married Tomoya whisked his friends and family to a room downstairs to tell them what had happened.

“We're not going to be able to leave until the prisoners have all been accounted for.” Tomoyo remarked thoughtfully. “Still, the biggest shock was finding out Kotomi's new husband is a cop. I wonder how they'll handle all this.”

“That's something I think we should be asking about you.” Ryou said. “After all, you are a friend of Kotomi. Won't the mayor try to use this against you during the election?”

“He'll certainly try, yes.” she replied. “At the end of the day, everyone can agree this was all just an unfortunate accident. And as we just found out, there's no danger of radiation.”

“True.” Yusuke confirmed. “As designed, when the generator malfunctioned it immediately shut down all function. If anything, that'll help her when the lawsuits begin.”

XxX

The sun began to slip below the horizon when Yukimora returned to provide an update. “I'm pleased to announce nearly all of the prisoners have been returned to their cells. A review of the security footage revealed one of the prisoners managed to slip out during the riot. The odd thing is he was scheduled to be released tomorrow.”

“You're still going to try to find him though right?” Tomoyo asked.

“Absolutely.” Yukimora replied. “Right now we know he hasn't left town. He imprisoned for a minor crime but we'd like to have him recaptured all the same. Everyone's free to leave if they wish.”

“Wait, what about Kotomi?” Kyou asked. “She hasn't been arrested has she?”

“Not yet but she is being questioned at the police station.” Yukimora said after a long pause. Shaking his head sadly he added “She didn't deserve this happening on our wedding day.” 

“Talk about talking a turn for the bad.” Tomoya remarked. “I hope she'll be ok. I wish there was something we can do.”

The best we can do is leave it to Yukimora.” said Kappei. “He's a cop and her husband. I'm sure he'll do everything he can to help her out.”

“You're probably right.” Tomoyo added. “Geez...this really killed my mood. I think we should all just go home and figure things out on the morning. This wasn't the kind of excitement I had in mind on our wedding day.”

“I hear you there Mrs. Sunohara.” Nagisa said as she smiled. “It has a nice ring to it.”

“Yeah, it kinda does.” Youhei said as he squeezed Tomoyo's hand. “I don't think I'll ever get tired of hearing people say it.”

“Big Sis, I'm hungry.” Tomo suddenly said. 

“And I'm getting sleepy.” Ushio added as she yawned. “I've had a long day.”

“No kidding.” Tomoya said as looked at Nagisa. “How are you feeling?”

“Honestly I'm ready to give birth.” she replied as she patted her large belly. “I'm ok with being pregnant for one more night, though.”

“Let's get going, then.” Tomoya said. “I'm sure I'm going to be very busy after today. Not just because of the baby but with the new development with that generator.” The Okazaki family climbed into their car and headed home. As they stopped for a traffic light Tomoya suddenly remembered something.

“Wait a minute...I didn't see your parents at the wedding.” He said to Nagisa. “I'm sure they got an invitation from Tomoyo ans Ryou.”

“They wanted to come but they had to stay for some deliveries at the bakery.” Nagisa explained. “Now that Mom's pregnant Dad won't let her do any heavy lifting.”

“It still would have been nice if they could have made it.” Tomoya said as he glanced at Ushio, who slept in the backseat behind Nagisa. He turned back just as the light turned green. He was halfway through the intersection when the sound of a car approaching from the left caught his attention. He turned in time to see that the car was not slowing down.

“Nagisa!” he exclaimed. Before she could react Tomoya unbuckled her seatbelt and then reached over and opened the door on her side. He turned and saw the car had entered the intersection, the driver furiously honking the horn. This time Nagisa saw what caught Tomoya's attention a moment earlier and gasped in horror. 

“Tomoya, look out!” she exclaimed. With a hard shove he pushed her out of the car. Nagisa regained her balance long enough to roll away from the car just before the speeding car slammed into the driver's side of their car. The force of the impact sent glass flying in all directions. Nagisa yelped as a shard of glass nicked her arm. She was about to tear her dress to cover the wound when she remembered her husband and daughter were still in the car.

“TOMOYA! USHIO!” she screamed as she ran to the wreckage. 

“Mommy!” Ushio exclaimed. Nagisa ran to her first. As soon as she got the door open she realized she was standing in a puddle. At first she thought her water broke when she realized her clothes didn't feel wet she knew it had to be something else. The strong smell coming from the car told her they were all in grave danger.

“Ushio, are you ok?” Nagisa asked as she lifted her daughter out of the car.

“My arm hurts.” she said. The area above her hand was bruised. More than likely she had broken her arm from the impact. Nagisa carried Ushio to the sidewalk and set her down.

“I'm going to see if Daddy's alright.” she said to Ushio. “Wait here.” Nagisa ran around to the other side of the car just as the driver of the other car emerged. He appeared young and judging from the prison jumpsuit he wore, this young man was the prisoner Yukimora mentioned earlier. He had several cuts and bruises but he was standing on his own.

“Oh my god.” he said when he saw Nagisa. “Are alright?”

“My husband's trapped in the car!” she exclaimed. 

“The door's smashed in.” the stranger said, stating the obvious. “Let's see if we can pull him out from the other side.”

“We'd better hurry.” Nagisa replied, adding “There's gasoline leaking from the car.” They ran to the other side to the still open passenger side door. Tomoya was unconscious, which made sense given the large welt on his forehead. The window was splintered where his head hit the glass. The two unbuckled Tomoya's seatbelt and gently eased him out of the car. Together they half-carried, half-dragged Tomoya to the sidewalk where Ushio waited just as both cars burst into flames.

It wasn't until the sound of approaching sirens filled the air Nagisa realized how tired the ordeal made her as she gasped for air next to Tomoya's unmoving body. The sudden pain she felt also told her she was now in labor. She didn't have long to think about how to react before she passed out in exhaustion.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> In case anyone's wondering Nagisa was the only one who wasn't seriously hurt in the car accident. As I clarified in my revision of Chapters 5 though 7 the drug developed for Nagisa only stops her from getting randomly sick. She still has a weak constitution. After being in a car accident and pulling her family out of the wreckage while being nine months pregnant, it's understandable her body would quit on her.


	12. Diamond in the Rough

When the Okazaki family arrived at the hospital Ushio was the only one still conscious. Tomoya, who had the more serious injuries was immediately rushed upstairs to the operating room. Despite the pain she was in Ushio refused to be separated from her mother.

“Mommy!” she exclaimed as Nagisa was wheeled into an examination room. 

“It'll be alright, Ushio.” One of the doctors said to her gently. Ushio recognized the voice and turned to see that it was Dr. Honda who'd spoken. “It's my job to take care of your mother and new brother and that's what I'm going to do. Between the two of you, your injuries look to be more serious. I will let you stay only if you allow someone to take care of your injuries. Can you do that?” 

The six year old silently nodded, to which Dr. Honda motioned for a doctor standing nearby to see to the injuries. This allowed the doctor to focus on Nagisa. To her relief, Nagisa's injuries weren't as bad as they looked. The worst was the large laceration on her right bicep. It would require stitches. As she turned to grab some sutures from the counter behind her she heard Nagisa begin to stir.

“Ushio...” she said. “Ushio, where are you?” before Dr. Honda could answer, Ushio rushed to her mother's side.

“I'm here, Mommy!” she exclaimed. “Are you ok, Mommy?”

“I'll be fine, Ushio.” Nagisa replied as she squeezed her daughter's hand. “I'm more worried about you and your father right now.”

“Your husband's injuries were so serious he was rushed into surgery as soon as you all arrived.” Dr. Honda explained, inserting herself into the conversation. “Ushio appears to have a broken arm yet in comparison to both of them you only have a few cuts and bruises. It's a miracle you weren't seriously hurt yourself.” 

That's when the memory of what happened before the crash began to come back to her. The incoming car, Tomoya pushing her out of harm's way and the horrific aftermath. “Tomoya, he...he saw the car coming before I did.” she said sadly. “He knew he wouldn't be able to avoid it so he pushed me out of the car at the last second. If he hadn't done that, I might have been AH!”

“Mommy!” Ushio yelped as Nagisa clutched her belly with her other hand. Dr. Honda examined her and came to the same conclusion Nagisa had moments before: The baby was coming.

“It's ok, Ushio.” Nagisa quickly said. “The baby's going to come a day earlier than we expected.”

“My brother's going to be born soon?” Ushio asked in surprise.

“That's right...you were the only one who knew up to now weren't you, Ushio?” Dr. Honda asked as she smiled. “It's just like she said Nagisa. You're going to have a boy.”

“That's wonderful!” Nagisa declared happily. “I can't wait until I Tomoya finds out. He'll be so happy!”

“Are you going to be ok, Mommy?” Ushio asked as Nagisa eased through another contraction.

“It'll be ok Ushio.” her mother reassured her. “It's just like when you were born. I'm going to work real hard to make sure your brother is born safely. It'll be a bit painful but I'll be ok knowing you're ok. I need you to be brave for Mommy, Ushio. Can you do that?”

I'll stay right here, Mommy.” Ushio replied as she held her mother's hand. “I won't leave you I promise!” 

“I'll stay right here, Nagisa. I won't leave you I promise!”

Nagisa blinked in surprise as she remembered Tomoya said the same thing when she was giving birth to Ushio. Despite her young age there were times when Ushio said things far beyond her years.

“Are you sure, Nagisa?” Dr. Honda asked, glancing between mother and daughter. She didn't need to say anything further for Nagisa to understand the doctor's concern. After all, there were some adults who couldn't handle childbirth.

“I'm sure that if he could, Tomoya would be here with me.” she replied. “I want Ushio to stay here by my side in his place.”

“Very well.” Dr. Honda said after a long pause. “She can stay.”

XxX

Yukimora had just escorted Tomoyo, Mei and Youhei home when he received the call about the traffic accident. When he heard the description of the family involved he nearly dropped his cellphone in shock. He jumped out of his car and ran into the apartment building after the Sunoharas. “Tomoyo!” he exclaimed as he caught up to them. He paused a moment to catch his breath.

“Easy now, Detective Sanada.” Youhei said as the couple ran to him.

“What's happened?” Tomoyo asked.

“Call the Furukawas!” he exclaimed. “The Okazaki family has been in a car accident!” Without another word, Tomoyo turned and ran into the apartment to call Sanae and Akio. Having delivered the message, Yukimora returned to his car. He was about to drive off when the passenger side door opened and someone got it. It was Youhei.

“I promised Tomoya if anything happened to him I'd be there for Nagisa and Ushio.” he said, his expression unusually serious. “Let's go.” Yukimora nodded silently before driving to the hospital. What he didn't tell the Sunoharas was the other driver involved in the accident matched the description of the fugitive the police were still looking for. If it was him there was no question his parole would be revoked. 

He would see to it personally.

XxX

True to her word, Ushio stayed by her mother's side. Labor progressed for several hours and despite the pain her mother was in Ushio stayed strong. “You can do it, Mommy!” she encouraged. “When Daddy gets here he'll be so proud of you, too!”

Nagisa smiled weakly, nodding. She was nearing her limit and knew the baby had to be born before she lost consciousness again. “One more time, Nagisa!” Dr. Honda said, feeling the same sense of urgency as Nagisa. With one final push, Nagisa gave birth to a baby boy.

“You did it, Mommy!” Ushio cheered as the newborn took its first breath and cried. While Ushio resembled her mother, the dark-haired baby revealed he would more than likely take after his father in terms of appearance.

“Congratulations.” Dr. Honda said as she wrapped the baby in a blanket. She was about to hand the newborn to Nagisa when she noticed she had already fallen asleep, her job over for the time being.

“Mommy?” Ushio asked worriedly.

“It's alright, Ushio.” Dr. Honda said as she smiled. “Your mother's just resting. She did just bring your new brother into the world, after all. That's a lot of work when you think about it.”

“Oh...that's good.” Ushio said as she fell unconscious.

“Nagisa!” Sanae exclaimed as she and Akio burst into the room. Sanae rushed to her daughter's side while Akio ran to Ushio, catching her before she fell off her chair.

“She'll be alright.” Dr. Honda said to them. “She's just resting. Given what I heard when she gave birth to Ushio I'm impressed with how smoothly things went. As for the big sister, she insisted she stay with her mother despite having a broken arm. I can only imagine how much pain she was in.”

“Where's Tomoya?” Akio asked.

“Still in surgery.” The doctor replied as she handed the baby to one of the nurses in the room. “Now that Nagisa has given birth safely we call all rest easy. I can only imagine how things would have turned out if not for Tomoya's quick thinking. You can ask her about it when she wakes up.”

“Thank you, doctor.” Sanae said as she cried tears of joy.

“I'll take Ushio to get checked out.” Akio said as he followed Dr. Honda to the door. “After that I'll find out how Tomoya's doing.” After leaving the room, Akio took no more than five steps down the hall before he spotted Yukimora and Youhei. They didn't notice him as the two walked into a patient room with a police officer standing guard outside the door. A glance at the door produced the name ISSHISAI, RYUTO.

“The guy in that room caused a car accident a little while ago.” The officer standing next to the door said in answer to Akio's unasked question. “The punk was supposed to be released tomorrow when he escaped during a prison riot. You can be sure his parole's getting revoked after this. I feel real bad for the family involved. They're friends of the detective's new wife I heard.”

Akio had heard enough. He kicked the door open, much to the surprise of the occupants inside as well as the officer standing guard. “Mr. Furukawa!” Youhei exclaimed in surprise.

“You can't come in here!” the officer exclaimed a moment later.

“It's alright.” Yukimora said. “This man is the father and grandfather of two of the victims.”

“Ushio's here too but I wanted to look into the eyes of the man who almost took my greatest treasures from me.” Akio said as he glared at the young man lying in the bed.

“Detective Sanada was about to read him his rights.” Youhei explained. “How's Nagisa doing?”

“She just gave birth to a healthy baby boy.” he announced proudly. “Looks just like his Dad. Speaking of which, do you know how Tomoya's doing?”

“They told us he's still in surgery.” Youhei said when he noticed the bruise on Ushio's arm. “Hey, is she okay?”

“Oh, right.” Akio said as he handed her to him. “Her arm's broken. Do me a favor and take her to see a doctor.”

“Sure...but what about you?” Youhei asked.

“Me, the detective and Mr. Isshisai are going to have a long talk.” Akio replied, his eyes never leaving the man laying on the bed. Youhei had never seen Akio look this angry before. Without another word he excused himself and left the room, closing the door behind him.

XxX

When Nagisa came to, the first thing she saw was her mother holding her hand. In her other hand she held a bundle. Upon seeing it she remembered she gave birth to a baby boy. As the morning light filled the room, the events of last night replayed in her mind as a blur. The accident, pulling her family out of the wreckage, giving birth with Ushio next to her...her family!

“Where's Tomoya and Ushio?” she asked her mother. 

“Ushio's resting in another room right now.” Sanae explained. “The doctors waited until she fell asleep to reset her broken bone and outfit her with a cast. As for Tomoya, he just came out of surgery a short time ago.”

“Is he ok?” Nagisa asked.

“He was hurt bad but he'll live.” Sanae replied. “We won't know anything further until after he wakes up.” The door suddenly opened and Akio walked in with Youhei and Tomoyo.

“Welcome back, Nagisa.” Akio said as he grinned. “You guys really dodged a bullet. I just saw pictures of the wreckage. It's a miracle no one died.”

“I don't think I would have been able to get Tomoya out in time if not for the young man in the other car.” Nagisa said as she smiled. “I hope he's ok.” Akio's eyes widened in surprise upon hearing this.

“About the other driver.” Tomoyo said, interrupting his thoughts. “That's what we came to talk to you about, Nagisa.”

“Don't tell me he died?!” she said in surprise.

“Oh no, nothing like that.” Youhei quickly replied. “He'll make a quick recovery. In fact, he's sharing a room with Ushio right now.”

“Oh, that's a relief.” Nagisa said as she sighed. “Mom, can I hold my baby?”

“Of course.” Sanae said as she placed the newborn into his mother's arms. To everyone's surprise, Nagisa reached over and licked the baby on the face.

“Whoa!” Youhei exclaimed in surprise.

“He's just too cute!” Nagisa squealed with delight.

“And you know what they say about cute baby boys.” Sanae said. “They tend to grow into handsome young men.”

“Now that you mention it I do have a lot of cute baby pictures at home.” Youhei said thoughtfully.

“Hey, what's the baby's name?” Tomoyo asked. “It would feel weird calling him Baby Okazaki all the time.”

“Like with Ushio, Tomoya and I decided to go with a name that would work weather it was a boy or a girl.” Nagisa replied as she smiled proudly. “His name is Kagayaku. Kagayaku Okazaki. Or Kaga for short.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'll leave you to decide if the Chapter title refers to Isshisai or Kagayaku. By the way Kagayaku means “One who Shines (or Sparkles)”. The Kanji won't show here so I'll just say type the phrase in Google Translate (which I did) and see what comes up.


	13. Ground Zero

When she opened her eyes Ushio was a surprised to find that she was in a hospital bed. Seeing her right arm bound in a cast reminded her of what had happened the night before. Her family had been in a car accident. In the aftermath, her mother gave birth to her new brother. Hearing something stir in the bed next to her, Ushio saw that she had a roommate. He appeared to be a little older than Mei and had short, light brown hair. When she saw his face she recognized him as the man who helped her mother pull her father out of their car.

“Good morning.” she greeted politely. The young man was startled by the sound of her voice and turned in surprise. 

“You're awake!” he exclaimed in surprise. “You feeling ok?”

“Better than last night.” she replied warmly. “I remember you from the accident. You helped my Mommy rescue my Daddy. Thanks a lot, mister.”

“Oh, sure.” he replied. “I'm Ryuto Isshisai, by the way.”

“Ushio Okazaki.” Ushio replied. “I remember seeing my grandparents Sanae and Akki before I fell asleep last night. I guess they're with my Mommy and new brother now.”

“Akio Furukawa?!” Ryuto exclaimed in surprise.

“Yup, that's his name.” the first grader said proudly. “Do you know Akki?”

“T-That's putting it lightly.” he replied as he recalled his intense encounter with the girl's grandfather the night before. The door suddenly opened and two people walked in: Kyou and Kotomi. 

“We came as soon as we heard.” Kyou said as Kotomi tied the balloons she was holding to the end of Ushio's bed. Kyou walked to the other side of the bed and hugged her. “I let your teacher know about the accident before coming here. When you're feeling up to it you'll be welcomed back to school with open arms.”

“Oh, hello young man.” Kotomi said, having noticed Ushio's roommate for the first time. When she saw that his left foot was handcuffed to the bed she knew at once who he was. She turned to look away when he caught her staring but it was too late.

“It's quite alright.” he said to her. “I'm used to being judged by everyone I meet. My name is Ryuto Isshisai. Might I have the honor of knowing yours?”

“It's Kotomi.” she replied as she smiled politely, being careful not to say her new last name, which would give away how she knew of him.

“He helped rescue Daddy when we had the accident.” Ushio told Kyou and Kotomi.

“I see.” Kyou replied as she walked over to Ryuto's bed, not noticing the handcuffs. “It would seem the Okazaki family owes you a debt of gratitude. Thank you for helping despite your own injuries Mr. Isshisai.”

“It was nothing,” he replied, adding “And please just called me Ryuto.”

“I'm gonna go see Mommy and my little brother.” Ushio announced as she hopped out of bed. She was about to put a pair of hospital slippers on when she remembered her right arm was bound in a cast. Almost instantly Kyou was at her side.

“Here, let me help you.” she said as she helped Ushio put the slippers on and opened the door. “I'm going to go ahead with Ushio to see Nagisa and the baby. You coming, Kotomi?”

“I'll be right behind you in a minute.” Kotomi replied as she walked over to the window. Kyou shrugged before closing the door behind her. Kotomi waited until she heard Kotomi and Ushio's footsteps fade before speaking again. “Unlike Ushio's grandfather and my husband, I didn't come here to judge you Ryuto. I do want you to know that Tomoya Okazaki will live. How his quality of life will be affected remains to be seen but he will live.”

“Kotomi...I knew your name sounded familiar.” Ryuto remarked. “You're Professor Kotomi Ichinose. You're the one who invented that generator that failed last night.”

“Not anymore.” she replied as she turned to face him. “I got married yesterday. I am now Professor Kotomi Sanada. I believe you've already met my husband Yukimora, yes?”

“Your...!” he exclaimed in surprise. “So that's how you knew who I was. Why didn't you say so in front of the others?”

“As far as Ushio knows you're here because you were hurt in the accident.” she replied. “I don't know how much she really knows and to be honest, I don't think it's my place to tell her. She seems to trust you despite not knowing much about you and that's enough for me to know that deep down, you might be a better person than you give yourself credit for.”

“A good person wouldn't have wound up in prison, let alone escaped from one.” he remarked. “And to think I was supposed to be released today. Last night proved the only thing I've ever been good at is causing others pain.” At this Kotomi chuckled.

“Her father used to say things like that all the time.” she said as she walked to the door. “Even the darkest of night eventually yields to the brightest sunrise.” At the same time she opened the door, her husband stepped into the room.

“I see you've already introduced yourselves.” he said to Kotomi before turning to Ryuto. “I just spoke to the warden a short time ago. It turns out your release was finalized just before you escaped from prison. Based on that, weather you go back to jail or not depends on weather or not the Okazaki Family decides to press charges.”

“You make it sound as if that's a foregone conclusion.” Kotomi said in surprise.

“Personally, I'd be surprised if they didn't.” he replied.

XxX

Youhei, Akio and Tomoyo could barely recognize Tomoya with the plethora of wires, tubes and machines strewn around the room. Ryou, who worked in the hospital had just finished changing his bandages when they came to see him.

“I still can't believe how close we came to losing him.” Tomoyo remarked. 

“I know what you mean.” Ryou replied. “If he hadn't been pulled out of the car when he was he would've been dead before he got here.”

“How long is he going to be like this?” Youhei asked.

“About a week.” Ryou replied. “Tomoya is in a medically induced coma. There's swelling around the brain and we're going to have to wait until the swelling has gone down before he wakes up.”

“Nagisa, Kagayaku and Ushio should be released by then.” Akio noted. “Still can't believe the guy who saved his life escaped from prison. I mean what are the odds?”


	14. The Show Must Go On

Word of the accident quickly spread all over town. Yoshino and Youhei stepped up at the Electric Company to fill in for Tomoya but even with their help there were various tasks only Tomoya had the authority to handle. The restaurant's assistant manager had been running the store since when Nagisa went on maternity leave a few days earlier so they would be fine without her there. With Tomoya, Ushio and Nagisa in the hospital Sanae and Akio took turns visiting them at the hospital while the other ran the bakery. On the days Sanae ran the bakery Akio prepped twice the normal amount of baked goods the night before. 

A week after the accident Nagisa and Kagayaku were released from the hospital. Ushio needed to stay at the hospital for a few more days and Tomoya was still in a coma. When Nagisa arrived home, that's when the events of the week before really hit her. Even so she needed to be strong for her Kagayaku and Ushio when she was released.

Nagisa put the baby in the nursery, which had been set up with the help of Tomoya and Sanae. She and Tomoya debated having the baby sleep in their room but there was more sunlight in the spare room so that's what they settled on. “You sure you'll be alright?” Tomoyo asked Nagisa as she brought the rest of Nagisa's things into the living room. “Like we said before it would be no trouble at all for you to stay with us or at Kotomi's place.”

“I appreciate the offer but this is as much Tomoya and Ushio's home as it is mine.” she replied as she entered the living room. “I don't want them to come home to a house that hasn't been lived in for a while because of what happened. I also want Kaga to get used to living here after nine months in my belly and a week in the hospital.”

“It's good to see you haven't lost your sense of humor.” Tomoyo said as she smiled. “Takafumi said something with the same sentiment when he came home from the hospital. He said to me, 'You know what, Tomoyo? Nothing beats coming back to the home you know and love'.”

“Kyou's visiting Ushio again tomorrow and Mom should be on her way over right now.” Nagisa said as she looked out of the window just as the sun disappeared beneath the horizon. “It was like this when I was pregnant with Ushio though for different reasons. She's going to help me get through the next couple of weeks or at least until Tomoya can come home.”

“Say, Nagisa.” Tomoyo said as she looked at her friend. “Could I ask you something?”

“Sure, go ahead.” she replied as she looked at Tomoyo expectantly.

“Um...on second thought, nevermind.” Tomoyo said. “It's something personal but I think I'll need a bit more time before I'm ready to talk about it.”

“Are you sure?” Nagisa asked. “No matter what it is, I'll hear you out.”

“No it's ok really.” Tomoyo said, this time a bit more forcefully. “I should actually get going. Tomo's still getting used to the apartment and I promised to read her a story before bedtime.”

“How sweet.” Nagisa replied as she smiled. “Well, if you ever want to talk about anything you know how to find me.”

“I will.” Tomoyo said, adding “And I'll hold you to it. Good night.”

“Good night Tomoyo.” Nagisa replied. “Drive safely.” When Tomoyo arrived home she was surprised to see Tomo sleeping soundly in the room she shared with Mei. 

“She fell asleep while I was reading to her.” Youhei explained as he and Mei were clearing the table. “It was the sweetest thing. It reminded me of when Mei used to fall asleep when we were little.”

“No I didn't.” she replied.

Yes you did.” he countered. “You looked so adorable Mom took a picture.”

“No way!” Mei shrieked in embarrassment.

“Yes way.” Youhei said as he grinned. “In fact, I think I might have it in my room. Wait right there, I'll be right back!” It wasn't until after Youhei left Mei noticed how quiet Tomoyo was.

“Is everything alright?” she asked. “You haven't said anything since you came home.”

“I was just thinking about how we might have to move when Youhei and I start a family.” Tomoyo quickly replied, forcing a smile. 

“I'm sure you'll have extra room when the school year's done.” Mei countered. “I've been talking to the Furukawas and they've offered to let me stay with them while I'm at school. That way I can help out when the new baby arrives.”

“What's this about someone having a baby?” Youhei asked as he came back into the room. “Wait—are you pregnant Tomoyo?!”

“No!” She immediately exclaimed in surprise. “Not right now though I have been thinking about...you know, getting started. We were just talking about...wait, what we were talking about again?”

“I was just asking you if you were ok since you've been pretty quiet since you came home but then you went and changed the subject on me.” Mei replied for Youhei's benefit.

“It's probably nothing to worry about.” Youhei said to his sister. “We've got our hands full helping the Okazaki family right now. Speaking of which, I'm not alone in wishing Tomoya a speedy recovery back at the office.”

“Heh, Nagisa asked me the same thing when I took her home.” Tomoyo remarked. “We were talking about some things and I was going to ask her for advice on something when I backed out of it.”

“How come?” Youhei asked.

“I think it's better if I just showed you.” Tomoyo said as she took an envelope out of her purse and handed it to him. “Read the letter inside.” The emotion that entered her voice was not lost on either sibling. Youhei's eyes widened in shock as he read it.

“They're kidding!” he exclaimed.

“Her attorney gave it to me at the campaign office this morning.” Tomoyo explained. “We have three months to figure out what we're going to do.”

“What's it say?” Mei asked as Youhei silently handed the letter to her. He then walked over to his wife and embraced her.

“It'll be ok.” he said. “We'll get through this together. All of us.”

“Is this for real?” Mei asked, at a loss for words. “They're going to take Tomo from us?”

“If we don't something yes.” Tomoyo said. “How do you explain this kind of thing to a five year old, Youhei? How do you explain to your own flesh and blood you're going to be taken from the people who care about you?”

What none of them noticed was the small shadow being cast into the living room. Tomo looked at her sister, sister in-law and brother in law before quietly going back in her room.

XxX

The following morning it was Akio's turn to visit Tomoya and Ushio in the hospital. As usual he prepared enough baked goods to ensure the bakery would make a decent profit for the day. Fuko arrived just as Akio pulled the last tray out of the oven. “Good morning, Fuko.” Sanae greeted her warmly.

“Good morning Mr. and Mrs. Furukawa.” Fuko replied in turn, bowing politely. “Fuko Ibuki reporting for work!”

“Glad to hear it my Starfish Master.” Akio replied as he smiled. “Today's going to be a little different from the other times I've left you and Sanae to mind the bakery.”

“How so?” she asked.

“I'm going with Nagisa to Ushio's school to pick up all the work she's going to need to make up when she's released from the hospital.” Sanae explained. “We didn't want you to feel overwhelmed so we asked around to see if anyone would be able to help out on such short notice.”

“And as luck would have it, we found someone.” Akio added as the door opened and someone walked in. “Speaking of which, it looks like she's arrived.” A young woman with light brown hair and violet eyes entered the bakery. She smiled warmly at Akio, Sanae and Fuko.

“Good morning Mr. and Mrs. Furukawa.” the newcomer greeted warmly. 

“Good morning, Yukine.” Sanae replied in turn. “Fuko, this is Yukine Miyazawa. She will be helping you until I return. She's also a good friend of Nagisa and Tomoya and knows here way around the bakery.”

“Tomoya and Nagisa helped me stop the gang violence that threatened to tear the town apart when we were in high school.” Yukine added. “From what I've heard you went to school around the same time as Nagisa. It's a wonder we're only now meeting for the first time.”

“Fuko agrees.” Fuko replied as they shook hands. “Fuko looks forward to working with you.”

XxX

“Ryuto Isshisai?” Misae asked in surprise. “That's a name I haven't heard in a while. Not since high school. How do you know about him, Mrs. Sanada?”

“He was involved in the accident that put the Okazaki family in the hospital.” Kotomi replied, adding “Or to be more precise, he was the cause of the accident. As you're aware my husband is a police detective. I know about his criminal record but I thought that it would be best to ask someone who might have known him from before that time.”

“I'm not sure what insight I can offer.” Misae remarked thoughtfully. “He was a senior when I was a First Year Student. Ryuto had a real talent for tinkering with things. He was well known all over school for being able to fix anything and in some cases upgrade machines and computer systems.”

“I see.” Kotomi replied thoughtfully. “Ryuto was convicted for hacking into a mall security system, allowing the gang that hired his skills to steal everything that wasn't nailed to the floor.”

“I remember that.” said Misae. “It made international headlines and it forced countries all over the world to take internet security more seriously. Since he wasn't physically there when the crime took place and was only paid to hack security, he got a significantly lighter sentence compared to those who carried out the thefts.”

“Ironically the day of the accident, which was also the day of the prison riot was the day Ryuto was scheduled to be released.” Kotomi remarked. “My husband said he's fortunate no one had been killed in the accident. Now weather he goes back to prison or not depends on if the Okazaki family decides to press charges or not.”

“I see.” Misae said after a long pause. “Do you know if they've made a decision yet?”

“Nagisa said she wanted to wait until Tomoya regained consciousness so she could talk to him about that.” Kotomi replied. “It's my understanding he helped Nagisa pull him out of the wreckage before their car was engulfed in flames.”

“I see.” Misae said as she began to understand what Kotomi was getting at. “One thing you can count on Tomoya and Nagisa to do is surprise you just when you think you've got them figured out. I can't wait to see what they decide to do. Regardless of their decision, it'll change his life forever.”

“Yes, I couldn't agree more.” Kotomi replied, smiling.

XxX

“It's been six hours since we've begun easing him out of the medically induced coma Dr. Itachi.” Ryou said as they monitored his vitals. “Everything looks good. If this keeps up he should wake up soon.”

“Good.” the doctor replied. “Continue observation. I want to know the moment--” The doctor stopped mid-sentence when the door suddenly opened. He and Ryou looked to see that it was Ushio who had entered. She stopped by to visit every day to spend time with him though this was the first time she'd done so knowing her father was being seen by the doctor.

“Is it true?” she asked. “Is Daddy going to wake up soon?”

“I think so, yes.” Ryou replied, smiling. “When he does wake up he's got a lot of catching up to do. As do you when you're released from the hospital.”

“He hasn't seen Kaga yet.” Ushio noted. “Everyone else has seen Kaga except Daddy. I want him to wake up so he can see Kaga.”

“As do I, Ushio.” Ryou said. “Dr. Itachi and I are going to step outside for a little bit. If anything changes I want you come get us at once. Understand?”

“I understand.” she replied, nodding as she took Tomoya's hand in her own. Ryou couldn't help but smile as she watched how affectionate Ushio was being. Although she had her mother's looks she seemed to have inherited her father's reputation for being helpful.

After Ryou left Ushio watched her father intently. She'd visited her father enough times now to become accustomed to the various machines keeping his body working. As she squeezed his hand she thought of all the things they'd done together over the course of her life.

“Oh, Daddy.” she whispered as a single tear rolled down her face. “Please wake up soon.” The teardrop fell on his hand. Aside from the moisture there was no reaction on Tomoya's part. Ushio watched over him for a few more minutes before she rose to leave. She looked back once more before returning to her room. 

Had she waited a moment longer she would have seen her father begin to stir.


	15. Shattered Hope

Nagisa had just put Kagayaku to bed when the phone rang. Upon answering it she recognized Ryou's voice on the other end of the phone. “He's awake.” she said. Nagisa nearly dropped the phone after hearing those two words. Memories of the accident came rushing back to her almost all at once.

“I'm on my way.” she replied before hanging up the phone. She dressed, got Kagayaku ready and took a taxi to the hospital. When she arrived she found Ryou and Ushio waiting outside Tomoya's room. “How is he?”

“Dr. Itachi is with him.” Ryou replied as the door suddenly opened. Dr. Itachi emerged from the room and shut the door behind him.

“How is he, doctor?” Nagisa asked him. He looked at Ryou and Ushio before turning back to Nagisa and saying

“Mrs. Okazaki, could I speak to you privately?” At this Nagisa's eyes widened in surprise. She nodded silently and handed Kaga to Ryou before following the doctor into the vacant room across the hall. 

“Is he going to be alright?” she asked once the doctor closed the door behind her and motioned for her to sit in the room's only empty chair.

“Forgive me, but I wanted to be mindful of the fact you were recently discharged from the hospital yourself.” Dr. Itachi began. “As you're aware Tomoya suffered a serious head injury. It was for that reason he was placed in a medically induced coma. The good news is his fine motor and reflex are functioning normally. His speech, though slowed from being asleep for so long should recover quickly enough as well.”

“What a relief.” Nagisa said as she exhaled deeply. 

“I'm afraid there's more to this, Mrs. Okazaki.” Dr. Itachi said to her. “While physically I expect Tomoya to make a full recovery, his memory is another matter.”

“What do you mean?” Nagisa asked.

“Tomoya's memories of his life before waking up today...is gone.” he replied. “He can't remember anything about himself or anyone else he knew. Not even his own name. All the people he knew are strangers to him. All save one person.”

“One person?!” Nagisa exclaimed in surprise. “Who?” At this the doctor could only smile. 

“His daughter.” He replied. “Ushio.”

XxX

When the door opened again the doctor had returned only this time he was not alone. Three people came with him this time. He concluded the violet-haired woman was a nurse based on what she was wearing. The other two—a young woman and a little girl—looked like they were related to each other. 

“Hello.” The woman with short, brown hair said to him as she smiled warmly. “My name is Nagisa Okazaki. How are you?”

“Okazaki...?” he said in surprise. “That's my last name, too! Are we related?” Hearing this she tensed up for a moment before regaining her composure.

“We are, Tomoya.” she replied, adding “I'm your wife.”

“I'm married?!” he exclaimed in surprise.

“And that's not all.” the girl piped up. “You and Mommy have two children.”

“Children...!” Tomoya repeated as he looked first at the girl and then the baby the nurse was holding before returning to the girl. “Wait...Ushio! And who's that baby the nurse is holding?”

“Your son was born the day of the accident.” Dr. Itachi explained. “Your daughter suffered a broken arm in the same accident that put you in a coma.”

“I'm sorry to hear that.” he said to her. “Luckily for you, you got to keep all of your memories. I wake up and you're the only memory I still have. It's strange. I can't remember my own name and yet I can remember you just fine.”

“I'm just happy you're finally awake, Daddy.” Ushio replied as she fought back the tears she felt coming. 

“If it helps, the baby doesn't really know anyone yet either.” The nurse offered. “As he grows, you'll make new memories together.”

“That's true.” Nagisa remarked. “By the way, this is Ryou Hiiragi. She and her twin sister Kyou Fujibayashi and us were good friends in high school. We have lots of other friends who have been waiting for you to awaken as well. I'm sure they'll be happy to see you, too.”

“I know I should count myself fortunate to have lived through such a horrible accident but when I think about what I've lost...how do you move forward?” Tomoya thought to himself.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I dedicate this Chapter to my hometown, Boston. 
> 
> You'll notice I put Tomoya's question at the very end in Bold and Italics (the last sentance in this chapter). That is intentional. That was the question asked in the hours after the bombings on Monday. We gave our answer immediately after the blasts killed three people and injured 178 more: We come together and take care of our own. 
> 
> It's what we do.


	16. Hope Realized

“Here we are.” Nagisa said as she unlocked the door to their home. “Welcome home, Tomoya and Ushio.” After nearly a month in the hospital Tomoya and Ushio had been released. Ushio would have to wear a cast for two more months but at least she could go back to school. Tomoya, on the other hand would take far longer to heal, if ever.

“This is our home?” Tomoya asked in surprise. “It looks amazing!”

“Your father gave it to us when we first found out I was pregnant.” Nagisa remarked, chuckling. “It's the same home you grew up in.”

“Wow.” Tomoya replied as he looked around. “I wish I could remember. I'm sure I have many fond memories.”

“That's...” Nagisa began before stopping herself. While she didn't want to lie to her husband. She couldn't bring herself to tell him of the painful memories that haunted him for so long. Feelings of loneliness and isolation. 

“Say, we could make lots of new memories.” Ushio suddenly said. “Now that we're all home again we can move forward together.”

“That's true.” Nagisa piped up. “As a family, we can do more together than we can by ourselves.” Tomoya wandered around the house taking everything in. The kitchen, the living room, the study, the bedrooms...even the bathroom. Ushio followed him while Nagisa watched from afar with hope. Since Tomoya grew up in this house there was a chance he could remember something...anything.”

“Nagisa!” Tomoya suddenly exclaimed. She ran into Ushio's room where she found Tomoya staring at a picture on the desk in the room. It contained a picture of Tomoya, Nagisa, Ushio, Sanae, Akio and Naoyuki. 

“That's our parents.” Nagisa explained, in answer to his unasked question. Pointing to each of them in turn. “This is my Mom and Dad Sanae and Akio and this other gentleman is your father, Naoyuki. He's the one who gave us this house.”

“My father...” he whispered as he stared at the picture for what felt like an eternity. Coming home late from work, falling asleep surrounded by empty bottles of alcohol...the loneliness. That was it. That was why he and his father had been estranged for so long. It wasn't until three years after Ushio was born Naoyuki began to turn his life around. Only a few months ago he allowed Ushio to babysit Naoyuki alone. It was when he learned it was ok to lean on father once again.

“Daddy?” Ushio spoke softly, pulling him out of the memories he just regained.

“I remember.” He said without looking up. “I remember. Our relationship was so bad I moved out while I was in high school. Something happened that changed our relationship for the better. I just can't remember what that something was.”

It's alright.” Nagisa said to him. “Don't strain yourself trying to remember. Just like this memory, it will come back to you in time. I think we've had quite an eventful day. How about some lunch?”

“Sounds good to me!” Ushio exclaimed.

“Same here.” Tomoya added as he stood.

“It'll take a little while to get everything ready.” Nagisa told them. “Why don't you look around for a bit in the meantime?”

XxX

“Not bad, kid.” Akio said as he set down a tray of fresh pastries. “If I didn't know better I'd say you have a real knack for baking.”

“I've never even been inside of a kitchen before.” Ryuto replied, shrugging.

“Natural talent, then?” Akio asked in surprise. “Whatever. With you on board, that should free Sanae up from doing any actual baking from here on out.”

“You sure you wanna say that with your wife standing behind you?” Ryuto asked, pointing in Sanae's direction. When he looked at her she was on the verge of tears.

“I'm off the team?” she asked as she began to cry. “Is this is why Fuko and Ryuto were hired? Fine, I see how it is!” With that, she ran out of the bakery and down the street.

“Wait, Sanae it's not like that!” Akio exclaimed as he grabbed two pastries and ran after her. “I love your bread!”

“After a few days, you get used to it.” Fuko said to Ryuto, shrugging. 

“I see.” he replied in amazement. As suddenly as they left the Furukawas returned only they weren't alone. With them were Yukimora and Kotomi Sanada. 

“Relax, I'm not here to arrest you.” Yukimora said before the youth could say anything. “When I found out the Furukawas hired you I just had to come see for myself. Well, that and my wife has a job offer for you if you want it.”

“A job?” Ryuto said in surprise. “What kind of job?”

“When the fusion generator failed it caused quite the uproar.” said Kotomi. “Luckily, Tomoya and I put in an emergency system that would switch to fission energy in the event of a power failure. If not for that...well, I'd rather not say. Anyway, the Japanese government is willing to overlook the blackout and give the generator another chance only this time it will power the entire country. As a result of this, some major modifications will be necessary. Since this task is time sensitive I've decided to hire you to assist me with the necessary changes.”

“Bear in mind everyone in town knows about what you did to the Okazaki family.” Yukimora reminded him. “Taking the job could change public opinion about you.”

“Let's say I accept the job offer.” Ryuto replied. “Aside from good publicity what's in it for me?”

“For starters, we both know you're more than qualified for the job.” Kotomi replied. “You'll be given access to the most cutting edge technology available. You'll also be well paid for your help and should you agree to a more long term employment you'll be granted access to a wealth of opportunities in IT worldwide.” Ryuto was speechless as he looked at the Furukawas and the Sanadas. 

“If you're worried about us, Mei Sunohara is going to be moving in over the summer.” Akio said to him. “We'll be fine until then.”

“Are you sure?” Ryuto asked. “Wait, does this mean I have to move out?!”

“Not if you don't have anywhere else to go.” Sanae replied. “You're welcome to continue living here for as long as you like.”

“I see.” he said as he thought for a moment. “Mrs. Sanada. I'll accept the job but there is something I must do first.”

“What is it?” she asked.

“I need to speak to the Okazaki family.” he replied. On hearing this Akio and Yukimora gasped in surprise. “I want to apologize to them and beg for their forgiveness.”

XxX

“Tomoyo!” Youhei exclaimed as he burst into her campaign office. “Great news! Tomoya's been released from the hospital!”

“That's wonderful!” she replied. “I'm so glad he's doing so well. Maybe with time his memories will heal just like his body did.”

“You and me both.” Youhei replied. “I haven't seen him since he woke up. Ryou said we're going have to take it real slow since he's learning about the world all over again. I can't begin to imagine how Nagisa and Ushio are taking it.”

“It's got to be stressful enough for Nagisa taking of the new baby and everything else.” Tomoyo remarked, nodding. “It makes my campaign look easy in comparison.”

“By the way, how are things going with...you know.” he asked. Tomoyo took an envelope out of her desk and opened it, handing the contents to her husband. 

“As of this morning you and I are once again Tomo's legal guardians.” she replied. “All that's left is to prove she belongs with us. We have a good chance but her mother's not making this easy.”

“Have you talked to Tomo about this yet?” Youhei asked her. Almost instantly her expression changed and for a moment Youhei thought she was going to hit him. To his surprise she didn't.

“I'm too afraid.” she replied quietly. “How could I do that to her? How could I make her choose between us and her mother? It doesn't seem right to do that to a five year old.”

“I agree.” her husband said as he hugged her. “She's just doing this for the publicity. She doesn't really care about Tomo. She hates your father that much.”

“It's just not fair.” Tomoyo said as her anguish turned to anger. “I've worked so hard. As a candidate for mayor I must appear confident and competent at all times. I won't let this break me.”

“That's the Tomoyo I know and love.” Youhei said as he grinned.

“Just shut up and kiss me.” she replied as they embraced.


	17. The Whims of Destiny Part 1

“Lunch is ready.” Nagisa announced after she finished setting the table. Tomoya and Ushio joined Nagisa at the table and for the first time since the accident they ate a meal together. The conversation between the family drifted from Ushio's return to school to Tomoya's eventual return to work until talk shifted to the accident itself. 

“All I know of the accident is what I've been told.” Tomoya said to Nagisa. “We were on our way home from our friends' wedding when we were hit by another motorist. I lost my memory, Ushio's arm broke and you went into labor. For the life of me, I couldn't remember anything that happened before I woke up in the hospital except Ushio. If not for that picture I'd probably still not even know my Dad.”

Nagisa was about to say something when the phone suddenly rang. She walked into the living room and picked up the phone. “Okazaki Residence.” she said.

“Why hello, Nagisa.” the voice of Kotomi said on the other end of the phone.

“Oh, Kotomi hi!”Nagisa exclaimed in surprise. “How are you?”

“Quite well.” she replied, adding “I'm on my way over actually. Yukimora and I have a request to make of you, Tomoya and Ushio only we can't do it over the phone. Is it ok if we ask you in person?”

“Sure I don't mind.” said Nagisa. “I'll let Tomoya and Ushio know you're coming over.”

“I'll see you in a few minutes then.” Kotomi replied before hanging up. 

“Who was that?” Tomoya asked.

“That was Kotomi.” Nagisa explained. “She said she and Yukimora had something to ask us and that they would be over shortly.” The look Tomoya gave her reminded Nagisa he no longer remembered who she was. “I'll reintroduce you to her when she arrives.”

XxX

“Are you sure you want to do this Ryuto?” Kotomi asked as they pulled up to the Okazaki home. 

“Yes.” he replied. 

“I'd say you're lucky Tomoya lost his memories then.” Yukimora remarked. “If he didn't, I doubt you'd be in the position to take on such an important job in my wife's research.”

“I understand.” he replied as he forced himself to smile. “Honestly, I'm scared. I shared a room with their daughter Ushio. All she knew was I'd been involved in the accident that put her family in the hospital. I don't expect them to forgive me but it's something I need to do.”

“Very well.” Kotomi said. “Let's do it.” They walked up to the door where Kotomi knocked softly. A few moments later the door opened. Standing on the other side was Nagisa. Nagisa gasped in surprise when she saw Ryuto.

“What's going on?” she asked.

“Sorry for not mentioning Ryuto when I called.” Kotomi said. “May we come in?” Nagisa hesitated a moment before gesturing for them to enter. She led the way into the living room where Tomoya was reading a book to Ushio. Kagayaku slept in a bassinet next to the bookcase.

“Yesterday I saw a rabbit.” Kotomi overheard him reading. “The day before it was a deer. Today, it's you.” 

“That story...!” she exclaimed despite herself. This drew the attention of Tomoya and Ushio, who only just noticed the visitors. 

“You know this story?” Ushio asked in surprise.

“It was my favorite story when I was your age.” she replied. “I even read it with your father once. That was such a long time ago.”

“....Kotomi?” Tomoya suddenly said. This got the attention of Nagisa, Kotomi and Yukimora.

“You remember my name?” Kotomi asked in surprise. “What else do you remember about me?”

“You were...are the smartest person I know.” he replied. “And you make the best apple pies ever.”

“That's true.” Yukimora said as they laughed. “Do you remember anything else?” He thought for a moment.

“Let's see...oh, that's right! She married you, recently.” he said. 

“Also true.” Kotomi said as she exchanged a look with Nagisa. “The day I was married was the same day your son was born, too.”

“That's right.” Ushio added as she looked in the direction of her sleeping brother. “I'll never forget it.”

“That day is also important for another reason.” Kotomi continued. “It was also the day of the accident that put your family in the hospital.”

“Kaga was born, Ushio broke her arm and Tomoya lost his memories.” said Nagisa, who looked very nervous as she looked from Tomoya to Ryuto.

“Now to why we've come.” Kotomi said as everyone sat on a cushion. “Ushio, do you remember the gentleman here with us?”

“He was in the same hospital room as me.” she replied as her eyes lit up. “He was also hurt in the accident.” 

“That's true, but that's not all.” Yukimora said to her. “There's something else about Ryuto Isshisai you and Tomoya don't know.”

“What's that?” Tomoya asked as he glanced at Nagisa. He could tell right away she knew already what he and Ushio were about to find out.

“Go ahead, Ryuto.” Kotomi said to him. There was a long pause. Finally, he took a deep breath and said

“I'm the one responsible for the accident. I'm the reason you lost your memories, Mr. Okazaki.” There was silence. All eyes were on Tomoya in anticipation of what he might do or say, the series of emotions clearly defined on his face.

“Is this true?” he asked.

“Yes.” Ryuto replied as he bowed politely. “I humbly beg for your forgiveness.”

“You're lucky no one died!” he snapped. “Any one of us including you could have been killed! What were you thinking?!”

“I'm sorry, I...” that was all Ryuto said before he started to sob.

“You're kidding me.” Tomoya said. “Your tears don't mean anything after what we've been through!”

“Tomoya!” Nagisa exclaimed. “I knew about him, too! We all did! We didn't tell you right away because you were still recovering in the hospital. So please...”

“There's something else you should know as well.” Yukimora said. “You do have the option of pressing charges against him. Mr. Isshisai came her knowing he might leave in handcuffs. His fate is yours to decide.”

“I forgive you.” Ushio suddenly said.


	18. The Whims of Destiny Part 2

“I forgive you.” Ushio suddenly said. Everyone looked at girl in surprise, each adult at a loss of words after what she said. 

“You...forgive me?” Ryuto asked, the first to find his voice.

“I do.” she said as she walked over to him. “You came here to apologize to us. I don't think you would have come to apologize unless you were really sorry for what you did to my family.”

“Ushio...” Nagisa whispered, at a loss for words. She couldn't be more proud of her daughter.

“I understand how you feel, Ushio.” Tomoya said to her. “This isn't something I can just overlook. Even if I didn't lose my memory I'd still be angry. He could have killed us all.”

“That as well as his record are the main reasons he was handcuffed to his hospital bed.” Yukimora remarked. “Despite what happened my wife still wants to offer him a job. Honestly I feel the same way as Tomoya. As a police officer, nothing would please me more than throwing him back in prison but as a husband, I want to respect my wife's wishes.”

“What do you mean?” Nagisa asked.

“We'll let you decide his fate.” Kotomi said to her. “Ushio forgave him and Tomoya did not. If you forgive him, all charges will be dropped. If not, he will have his day in court. What do you say, Nagisa?” Nagisa looked from Tomoya to Ushio to Kaga before returning her attention to Ryuto. So much had happened over the last few weeks. Now the fate of this young man was in her hands. 

“They say it's harder to forgive someone than it is to ask for forgiveness.” she finally said. “Tomoya was estranged from his father until very recently. Despite the rift that existed between them for years, they reconciled their differences. Even so, the fact remains Ryuto's actions that night have changed this family forever. You don't know about this Tomoya but Ryuto helped me pull you out of the car before it burst into flames. He could have run away but he didn't. He chose to stay and help us. Even though he was directly responsible for the accident, I can't overlook what he did afterward.”

“Then you...!” Ryuto exclaimed in surprise. Nagisa quietly walked over to him and embraced him. 

“I forgive you, Ryuto Isshisai.” she said. “And thank you for saving my husband's life.”

“Nagisa...” Tomoya whispered, taken aback.

“She does have a point there.” said Yukimora. “Had she waited for the paramedics, you would be dead.”

“Well, Tomoya?” Kotomi said to him. “Your family has forgiven him. I won't ask you forgive him today but in time, do you think you'll be able to reconcile?”

“I'll need some time to think about it.” he replied. “Hopefully I'll remember more of my former life by then. I'll let it go for now.”

“Fair enough.” she said, bowing politely. “Thank you for your time. Yukimora, Ryuto. Let's go.”

“I'll walk you to the door.” Nagisa said as she followed them to the door.

“Ushio...can I ask you something?” Tomoya asked.

“What is it?” she replied.

“Can you teach me to be more like you?” he asked. Ushio quietly ran over to Tomoya and leaped into his arms, hugging him tightly. “I love you, Ushio.”

“I love you, Daddy.” she replied.

XxX

“...And that's why we're going to court with your mother, Tomo.” Tomoyo said as she explained everything to her sister.

“Will I have to live with her again?” she asked.

“We're going to do everything we can to make sure that doesn't happen.” Youhei replied. “You belong here in this house with us.”

“How will this effect the campaign?” Mei asked Tomoyo.

“Depending on how the hearing goes, I'm prepared to drop out of the election.” she replied. “I talked with my campaign manager about what's going on he agreed it would be for the best. It was bad enough dealing with those who brought up my street fighting days. It would be too much dealing with this during the election.”

“That's a shame.” Mei said sadly. “I told all of my friends at school my sister in law is running for mayor. Even if you have to drop out this yer I hope you give it another shot later.”

“Believe me, I will.” Tomoyo replied as she smiled bravely. “I think we've spent enough time talk about something sad. Youhei has some exciting news to share.”

“I just got a big promotion.” he declared triumphantly. “With Tomoya still recovering at home things at the office have been pretty hectic. I've been promoted to Assistant Vice President of Hikarisaka Electric!”

“Wouldn't that make you Tomoya's number two?” Tomoyo asked in surprise.

“Like I said, things have been pretty crazy with Tomoya out.” Youhei said. “It goes to show big a deal this is. They can't wait for him to return. I was promoted to help supervise the backlog of jobs he green lit before the accident. When Tomoya returns I'll report directly to him.”

“He'll certainly be more surprised than I am.” Mei said. “Then again, you'll also be making more money with the new position. Can I borrow 100,000 yen ($10,000 USD)?”

“What—why?” Youhei asked in surprise.

“Because I need it why else.” she replied.

“Yeah, but why?!” he asked.

“That should cover my first two years of college.” she replied. “You did say you were going to cover the tuition remember?”

“Yeah, but that's still another year away.” Youhei fired back.

“True, but it might be a good idea to get the paperwork started now.” Tomoyo remarked thoughtfully.

“Not you too?!” Youhei exclaimed in surprise. He looked from his wife to his sister before taking the money out of his wallet and handing it to Mei. “Don't sped it all in once place.”

“Thanks, big brother!” Mei exclaimed happily as she threw her arms around her brother. 

“Yeah, yeah, don't mention it.” he said much less enthusiastically. At that moment the phone rang. Tomoyo answered it and almost dropped the phone when she heard the voice on the other side.

“Mrs. Sunohara?” the voice on the other said said.

“This is her speaking. She replied.

“There's been a development regarding the hearing.” the voice said. “I need you and Tomo to come to the courthouse tomorrow morning at 9:00AM. Can you make it?”

“Y-Yes of course.” Tomoyo replied as she wrote down the information on a sheet of paper. “Thank you.”

“Who was that?” Youhei asked after she hung up the phone.

“That was our attorney.” Tomoyo replied. “Something's come up. He asked I bring Tomo to the courthouse tomorrow morning.”

“But the hearing's not until next week!” Youhei exclaimed in surprise. “I wonder what's going on?”

“I don't know either.” she replied as she looked at her little sister. “We'll find out in the morning.”

XxX

“And we're done.” Akio said after the last customer left for the day. “Your pastries are selling like hotcakes, Fuko. I don't know how I got by without you.” 

“Good night Mr. Furukawa.” she said before leaving for the day.

“When you say it that way, you make it sound like you ran the bakery by yourself before we hired her Akio.” Sanae remarked as she cam into the bakery.

“We always seem to sell more than usual when we have help is all.” He replied. “Remember when Tomoya worked here? We took our first vacation back then. You think if we hire another person we could take another trip before the baby comes?”

“That would certainly be lovely.” Sanae said in agreement. “Still, I want to make sure Tomoya and Nagisa will be alright before we suddenly leave town. Not only are they dealing with Tomoya's amnesia but a new baby, too. We only had to worry about Nagisa and her health but it was still a handful for the two of us.”

“Yeah, I guess you're right.” he replied after long pause. “And in a few more months we'll be parents once again. If it were anyone else I'd call 'em crazy. With us it's not even a question.”

“Well, life happens.” Sanae said before the two leaned together and kissed.


	19. The Whims of Destiny Part 3

As Tomoyo, Youhei and Tomo walked into the courtroom the first thing they noticed were the pairs of attorneys present. Theirs on the left, the one representing Tomo's mother on the right. Tomo and the Sunoharas quietly joined their attorney on the left side of the courtroom.

“What's going on Mr. Odoroki?” Tomoyo asked him.

“Tomo's mother is dropping her custody claim.” he explained excitedly. “After today, Tomo will be legally yours as it should be.”

“That's great!” Youhei exclaimed, then quieting himself after the bailiff shot him a glance.

“Just like that?” Tomoyo asked in disbelief. “I wonder why she decided to drop her claim.”

“Your guess is as good as any.” Mr. Odoroki replied as the judge suddenly entered the room. Everyone stood until he was seated before sitting again.

“Good morning.” The judge said to everyone present. “I understand Mr. Hoshikage that your client wishes to abandon her pursuit of the custody of Tomo Sakagami?”

“Yes, your honor.” The older attorney replied.

“Why is your client not here?” the judge asked.

“Mrs. Hosokabe called me yesterday afternoon to tell me she had arrested and is being detained at the police station.” Mr. Hoshikage explained. “I called the precinct and was able to verify she is still there as of this morning. In light of her arrest, she thought it best to abandon her legal claim to her biological daughter.”

“I see.” The judge said before turning to Mr. Odoroki. “Do you have an opinion on this matter?”

“I think we can all agree that it's in Tomo's best interests to stay with her sister Tomoyo.” he replied. “Given the circumstances I can think of no one else who has Tomo's best interests in mind.”

“Given this recent development I must agree.” The judge said, now addressing everyone. “The court awards full custody of Tomo Sakagami to Tomoyo and Youhei Sunohara. Furthermore, Mrs. Hosokabe is ordered to stay away from Tomo and the Sunohara family pending the outcome of her own legal proceedings. This court is adjourned.” With a bang of the gavel it was official.

“Congratulations Mr. and Mrs. Sunohara.” Their attorney said and he shook their hands. “You're free to go but I'll stay and finish taking care of the paperwork. Once it's done I'll deliver it to your home.”

“Thank you again Housuke.” Tomoyo said as she embraced him. The three then left the courthouse holding hands together.

“Does this mean I get to say with you?” Tomo asked as they walked down the stairs.

“That's right.” Youhei replied as he checked his watch. “Hey, it's still early. Why don't we pick up a cake at Furukawa Bakery? My treat!”

“Sure, why not?” Tomoya replied as she smiled. “Hold on a second, I forgot the car keys. I'll run inside grab them before they end up in lost and found.”

“Go ahead, we'll wait here.” Youhei replied.

“You sure?” Tomoyo asked. 

“Sure, go ahead.” he insisted. Without another word Tomoyo turned and ran back into the courtroom to find her car keys. No sooner had she disappeared inside than a pair of thugs approached Youhei and Tomo.

“Don't move and no one gets hurt.” One of them said as two more appeared behind them. Quickly understanding the danger and the fact that they were outnumbered, Youhei's priority was protecting Tomo.

“Take it.” Youhei said as he held his wallet out in front of him.

“Don't want it!” Another thug said, knocking the wallet out of his hands. 

“You take a nap.” One of the thugs behind him said. That was the last thing Youhei heard before he was knocked out from a blow to the head.

XxX

When Tomoyo emerged from the courtroom a few minutes later the first thing she saw was Youhei lying face down on the sidewalk by himself. “Youhei!” she exclaimed as she ran to him and turned him on his back. She shook him vigorously in an effort to wake him. After a few moments hid stirred.

“My head...” he groaned as he looked around. Then he noticed who wasn't there. “They took her. Those bastards took Tomo!” 

“Who took her?” Tomoyo asked. 

“A group of guys ambushed me right after you left. I offered my wallet to them but they said they weren't interested. Damn...they must have been watching us. I'm sorry, Tomoyo. There was nothing I could do.”

“It's not your fault.” she replied as Mr. Odoroki emerged from the courthouse. See them he ran over.

“What happened?” he asked.

“Tomo's been kidnapped.” Tomoyo explained. “The people who took her attacked Youhei. Call the police and an ambulance for Youhei. “

“Right!” he exclaimed before running back inside. Taking out her cellphone, Tomoyo dialed in a number she never thought she'd call when she turned her life around. After ringing a few times someone picked up.

“Yeah?” The masculine voice on the other end said.

“It's me, Sasaki.” she said. “I'm cashing in my I.OU.” There was a long pause. Like her, Sasaki gave up his street fighting days when he found something more meaningful to strive for. For him, it was Yukine Miyazawa's hand in marriage. Their marriage ended the turf war and united the gangs. Before she went clean Tomoyo was his number two. Sasaki promised her that if anything happened, his people would take care of it. Now was certainly one of those times.

“What happened?” he finally asked.

“Tomo's been kidnapped.” she explained. “The people who took her beat up Youhei. I want her found and I want the people who did this found.”

“I'll have every man I got combing the streets and sewers 24/7.” he replied. “We'll have an address and names by sunset.” Without another word Tomoyo hung up the phone. 

XxX

Yukine had just left Furukawa Bakery when she got a text message from her husband:

“Tomoyo just called me. Her kid sister was kidnapped in front of the courthouse. The gang's searching the town for her and the punks who grabbed her.”

“Oh my...!” she exclaimed in shock. The sound of a loud BANG behind her almost made her drop her cellphone. The second that followed told her they were gunshots. She turned around to see a man wearing a long coat running down the street in the opposite direction. It took her a moment to realize he had come from Furukawa Bakery.

She ran inside the bakery to see Akio Furukawa lying in pool of blood. The blood was oozing out of a bullet wound in his chest. Fuko Ibuki, who'd clearly witnessed the shooting was in a state of shock.

“AKIO!” Sanae screamed as she rushed to his side.

“Th-that punk...he threatened Fuko.” Akio said between gasps. “No one threatens m-my star employee.” He suddenly coughed up blood, which meant his internal injuries were serious if not fatal.

“Fuko, call an ambulance!” Yukine exclaimed, which let them know she was in the room. Fuko nodded silently and ran to do as she was told. Yukine knelt on the other side of Akio to get a better look at the wound. Having seen wounds like this before she knew he was dying. Even without saying it she could tell Akio knew he wasn't going to live, either.

“Don't cry, Sanae.” he said as he brushed her hair from her face. “It's not good for the baby.”

“Just you hang on.” she said to him. “Help will be here soon.”

“The bullet pierced my heart.” he said plainly, regarding Yukine for a moment. “She knows as well as I do how this is gonna end. Still...I never thought anything other than Sanae would be able to touch my heart like this.”

“The ambulance is on its way!” Fuko announced as she returned. “Just hold on Mr. Akki!” 

“I'll be dead by the time they get here.” Akio whispered.

“Don't say that!” Yukine snapped. “You have family and friends here who care for you. For their sake...for all of our sakes you've got to hang on!”

“Only if you smile.” he suddenly said.

“What?” Sanae asked.

“All of you, smile.” Akio said, doing his best to look serious. “All this sadness ain't working for me.”

“How can we smile at a time like this?!” Fuko exclaimed. “You just told us you're dying!”

“Yeah, but I'm not dead yet.” he pointed out. “Now please...do me this one favor.”

“Oh, Akio.” Sanae said as she wiped the tears from her eyes. “You're right. Not just for the baby's sake but for Nagisa, Tomoya, Kaga and Ushio's too. That poor boy. He's going grow up never knowing you like Ushio did.”

“Maybe, but I know for a fact the high school still has my performances on tape.” Akio replied as he grinned. “And if that's not enough for my kid, they can learn everything they want to know about me from their Mom or big sister.”

“What should I tell Nagisa?” Sanae asked as she squeezed her husband's hand.

“Her Dad died a hero.” he replied, slowly closing his eyes. “And if Tomoya regains his memories, tell him I'm sorry I won't be able to keep our promise anymore. As for our child...if it's a boy, give him my name. If it's a girl name her after Tomoya's mom.”

“Mr. Furukawa, I'm so sorry.” Yukine said. “If I didn't leave when I did I might have been able to do something...anything--”

“Don't even think about it.” he interrupted with much effort. “This isn't anyone's fault but the guy who shot me. If given the choice I'd make the same decision. My family and friends...you mean the world to me.” Having spoken these words his grip loosened and his hand fell lifelessly at his side. 

Akio Furukawa was dead.

To Yukine's astonishment Sanae maintained her composure despite her husband dying in her arms. She couldn't tell if the older woman was putting on a brave face or if she was in shock. 

“Sanae...?” Fuko said warily as the sound of an approaching ambulance siren filled the air.

“It's ok.” she said as she smiled warmly. “It's as he told me. I have an important job to do. There will be time for tears later.”

XxX

“Dispatch, this is detective Sanada.” The detective said as he drove away from the courthouse. He'd just finished talking to Tomoyo and Youhei about the kidnapping when he heard the call incoming beep on the radio in his car. “Status report, over.”

“Detective Sanada, there's been a shooting at Furukawa Bakery.” the officer at the precinct informed him. “One of the owners was shot and killed, over.” Almost instantly Sanada pulled over to the right side of the road.

“Say again, dispatch, over?” he asked. 

“Homicide at Furukawa Bakery.” the officer replied. “Officers and paramedics are already on the scene investigating, over.”

“On my way, over.” he said before pulling back onto the street and turning his siren on. He reached the bakery in less than a minute despite the distance. He arrived just as the paramedics were taking a body out of the bakery. A sizable crowd gathered outside to watch the goings-on. 

“Wait.” he said to one of the paramedics as he hustled over to the stretcher. He swallowed hard before peeking under the sheet. He felt faint when he saw that it was Akio Furukawa and with a peaceful expression at that.

“You lucky dog.” he whispered. Then he noticed the bullet wound in the middle of his chest. “If not for the way you died I'd be jealous.”

“Time of death is approximately 1033.” One of the paramedics said as Akio's body was hoisted into the back of the waiting ambulance. Sanada nodded in acknowledgment before walking into the bakery. Two officers stood guard outside while two more collected evidence from the bakery. He spied an officer talking to Sanae, Yukine and Fuko and walked over to them.

“Sanae.” He said before pulling her into a hug. “Even if it kills me I'll find the scum who did this. I promise you that. Does Nagisa know?”

“Not yet.” she replied as he let go of her. “I'm still trying to figure out how to tell her.”

“I can drive you over if you'd like.” Sanada said. “I got some bad news of my own to pass along to the Okazaki family.”

“Would this have anything to do with Tomo being kidnapped?” Yukine asked him, adding “Tomoyo told my husband and my husband told me.”

“Yeah, I just came from the courthouse in fact.” he replied. “I've only been in town for a few months and all this happens. What is going on today?”

“Detective Sanada.” he turned to see an officer run into the bakery. “A suspicious person was caught trespassing at the high school. We're not sure if she's connected to the shooting or not but she's being taken to the precinct for questioning.”

“Do we have an ID?” Sanada asked.

“Yes: Misae Sagara.” The cop replied.

“Ms. Sagara?” Sanae said in surprise.

“Someone you know?” Sanada asked.

“Misae Sagara is the dorm mother of the boys' dorm in town.” she explained, adding “She's also a graduate of Hikarisaka High School.”

“I see.” Sanada remarked, returning his attention to the officer. “I'm sure it's unrelated to this but I'll talk to her myself later.”

“Yes, sir.” the officer said before leaving again. 

“Since I'm here, do you mind if I ask what exactly happened?” Sanada asked Sanae.

“A customer was giving me a hard time.” Fuko explained. “I messed up an order and gave him the wrong cake by mistake. He was upset because he was lactose intolerant and the cream frosting was made with milk. I was offering to make a new one when he pulled a gun on me. That's when Mr. Furukawa rushed to my aid and he...he...!” Overcome with grief Fuko burst into tears.

“Like he said Fuko, what happened isn't your fault.” Sanae said as she hugged her. “He didn't blame you and neither do I.”

“Did he say anything else before he died?” Sanada asked in surprise. “Did he say anything about the man who shot him?”

“No, but he's a hero.” Fuko replied. “I'll never forget his kindness.”

“I think it's time I take care of another bit of unpleasant business first.” Sanada said as he turned to leave himself. “You coming Mrs. Furukawa?”

“I'll stay here.” she replied after thinking a moment. “I have a funeral to prepare, after all.”

“I understand.” he said before leaving. “I'm sorry for your loss.”

XxX

Nagisa had just finished setting the table when the doorbell rang. “I'll get it.” Tomoya said before getting up to answer the door. To his surprise Detective Yukimora Sanada was standing on the other side. “Can I help you, detective?”

“I'm sorry to bother you but is your wife home?” he asked.

“She's inside.” Tomoya replied, inviting the detective inside. “What's this about?”

“I'm afraid I have bad news.” Sanada replied as Nagisa joined her husband. “You might want to sit down for what I'm going to tell you.”

“What is it?” Nagisa asked as Tomoya held her close.

“There was an incident at Furukawa Bakery.” he began. “An unruly customer was giving Fuko a hard time. Your Dad came to her aid but the man pulled out a gun and shot him.”

“WHAT?!” Tomoya exclaimed in surprise. 

“I was at the courthouse dealing with an equally serious crisis when I heard about the shooting.” Sanada continued. “By the tine paramedics arrived it was too late. He died in his wife's arms. I'm sorry, Mrs. Furukawa. Your father is dead.” There was silence as the gravity of his words sunk in. Nagisa sobbed in her husband's arms as he tried to comfort her.

“Do you know who's responsible?” Tomoya asked as Nagisa began to calm down.

“Every cop not looking for Tomo Sakagami is combing the town looking for him.” Sanada replied sternly.

“Tomo's missing?” Nagisa asked in surprise.

“She was kidnapped outside the courthouse about 45 minutes before your father was killed.” he explained. “As I understand it her old gang joined in the search as well. For the kidnapper's sake they'd better hope the cops find them first.”

“How's Sanae holding up?” Tomoya asked.

“As well as can be given the circumstances.” he replied. “By all accounts, your father is a hero. He died with a smile on his face.”

“Yeah, sounds just like him alright.” Tomoya remarked. “Old man...why'd you pick the day I remember you to die on me? You'll never see Ushio graduate from high school or Kaga take his first steps. You won't even be there to see your son or daughter be born. What kind of messed up logic is that?”

“Detective Sanada.” Nagisa said. “Finding out my father was killed protecting someone he cares about takes makes the sting of his death more bearable. At least my father got to see me grow up and that's something I'll always cherish. If something happened to Ushio, I don't think I'd survive the shock.”

“Nagisa...” Tomoya whispered.

“Please do everything you can to find Tomo!” she exclaimed. “I'm begging you, Detective. Tomo means the world to Tomoyo. If anything happens to her...”

“Believe me I know.” Sanada replied. “Tomoyo's prepared to do whatever it takes. Even if it means giving up her bid for mayor and becoming a vigilante. I'll do everything I can to make sure she doesn't do that.”

XxX

Tomoyo had just finished talking to her campaign manager over the phone when she noticed she had a text message from Sasaki:

We found her. Call me ASAP.

“What is it?” Youhei asked from his hospital bed.

“She's been found!” Tomoyo replied as she dialed the number. He picked up after the first ring. “I got your message. I'm at the hospital with my husband. Bring her to me.”

“You got it.” he replied, adding “I'll bring her there myself. By the way, could you do me a favor and put your phone on speaker? I got some news you and your husband are going to want to hear.”

“Go ahead.” Tomoyo said after setting the phone to speaker and putting it on the table next to Youhei's bed. “He can hear you.”

“Yukine just called me from Furukawa Bakery.” he began. “There was a shooting and one of the owners got killed. Poor guy's wife is expecting a baby. I know you're both friends of their daughter and stepson so I thought you should know. The cops not looking for Tomo are looking for the guy that did it.”

“Akio?” Tomoyo asked in shock. “I don't believe it!”

“If anyone else told me I'd have said the same thing.” he replied. “I don't know if it's connected to the kidnapping but if it is...”

“Someone's got some serious hell to pay.” she finished before hanging up the phone.

“If I wasn't laid up here I'd make a break for Tomoya's place right now.” Youhei remarked. “I feel so useless.”

“Right now you are useless.” Tomoyo said as she watched a car pull up to the front of the hospital below. She also spied several media trucks camped in front of the hospital. “Looks like the media finally caught up with me. At least I'm dealing with this now instead of later.”

Tomoyo took the elevator to the ground floor and rushed outside to retrieve her sister. The throng of reporters gathered outside rushed forward when they realized who she was. As soon as she had her sister in her arms she closed the door, signaling for Sasaki to drive away. She'd thank him later. 

“Ms. Sunohara, can we get a comment?” One of the reporters asked.

“This morning someone kidnapped my little sister.” She replied. “Thanks to the combined efforts of law enforcement, friends and volunteers my sister has been returned to me. I don't know who took my sister from me but I do know that whoever is responsible knew they couldn't hurt me directly so they decided to target the people closest to me. The same people who took Tomo put my husband in the hospital.” 

“If this was meant to scare me into dropping out of the election, sorry but it's not happening. I am going to keep pushing forward. When the dust settles I'll see to it no one else in this town has to experience what me, Sanae Furukawa and the Okazaki family had to deal with. In comparison I'm very fortunate. I got my sister back. The loss they suffered can never be returned to them.” Without another word Tomoyo turned and walked back into the hospital.

XxX

Detective Sanada had just finished the paperwork finalizing Misae Sagara's release when Tomoyo's comments were played on TV. Hearing them, he couldn't help but smile. “You got my vote.” he said despite himself. He picked up the phone and called his wife.

“Why hello, dear.” Kotomi said on the other end of the line. “I just heard the news. A kidnapping and a murder and on the same day. How terrible.”

“You ok?” Yukimora asked.

“As well as can be.” she replied. “I'm more worried about Nagisa and Mrs. Furukawa though.”

“There's a detail at the bakery.” he explained. “We also sent officers to the homes of the witnesses just in case. When I find the guy responsible he'll get his day in court. And don't even get me started on those kidnappers.”

“I take it you'll be working late then?” She asked.

“Yeah, sorry.” he replied. “This one hits pretty close to home. The Furukawas and the Sunoharas are friends of ours. I won't be able to rest until the people responsible are in prison where they belong.”


	20. Despir and Hope

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Just so folks know: I'm going to revise this chapter and it will be cut in two. I decided to revise this story's ending to make it so folks don't have to read the crossover story to come in order to read this story's sequel.
> 
> The time jump will be in the new final chapter of this story. The extra chapter will be EXCLUSIVE to AO3 though some of the new content will be added to the FFnet version of this story's 20th Chapter.

 

Ryou Hiiragi could not believe she would return to the church where she married two months earlier and for a funeral at that. Yet that was exactly what was happening. She was on her honeymoon in the U.S. Virgin Islands when Kyou called and her and gave her the news. Even now, despite Akio's casket being no more than 10 feet in front of her it was surreal.

 

Like the wedding the church was packed. She spied The Okazaki Family sitting with Sanae in the front row. She didn't tell her sister yet but she was expecting a baby herself. She couldn't begin to imagine how tough it would be raising a child alone given the circumstances.

 

“It makes you wonder if this town really is cursed.” she overheard Youhei say to Tomoyo on the other end of the pew. “It's just like when we were in high school. One thing after another.” True, things had been up and down since the accident that robbed Tomoya of his memories and put Ushio in the hospital with a broken arm.

 

“This is the town where most of us grew up.” Tomoyo replied, taking into account Youhei and Mei spent their childhood in a small town. “Nagisa was told she wouldn't be able to live a full life and look at her now. Her life and her family's life inspire me to keep pushing forward.”

 

“Yeah I get that but this?” Youhei replied. “Akio was a father to Tomoya. Not just to Tomoya but the rest of us, too. His murder rocked this town. Everyone's going to look to you for guidance but right now, I don't blame Tomoya for being angry at the world.”

 

XxX

 

A few months passed since the funeral. The election came and went with Tomoyo being elected mayor as predicted. Her first order of business was having Detective Sanada launch a full investigation of the murder and kidnapping. Misae Sagara, who'd been arrested for trespassing saw a suspicious person run onto the school grounds and followed him. She tried to catch up to him but he got away.

 

Today was a special day for Tomoya. It was his first day back at work since the accident. Yusuke and Youhei helped Tomoya relearn everything he learned over the past seven years in preparation for his return to Hikarisaka Electric. The president of the company took over most of Tomoya's duties during is absence. At Tomoya's insistence he went out with a new crew to supervise them on various jobs around the city.

 

“How was your first day back?” Youhei asked when Tomoya returned that evening.

 

“It was pretty awkward.” he replied, sighing. “The crew was nothing short of professional but with my lost memories and their inexperience I'd say we were dead even. Thankfully nothing unusual happened out there.”

 

“That's good.” said Youhei, grinning. “I just started before the accident so I did a lot of what you did when you first started working here. Now I'm working with Yusuke supervising long-term projects here and there.”

 

“ _Please help me get a job at the electric company!”_

 

It was a split second but in that moment Tomoya's mind revisited something he said to Yusuke a long time ago. “What was that?”

 

“ _I promise I'll work hard!”_

 

“What is it?” Youhei asked him.

 

“This company...this was my first job.” he replied. “I remember. While I was living with the Furukawas, I remember asking Yusuke to help me find work here. I got a job offer in another town shortly after I started working here but the offer fell through. I've been here ever since.”

 

“And this town has been all the better for it.” Yusuke said as he and the president both walked into the room. “I have to admit I had my doubts when a fresh out of high school kid with no prior work experience asked me to help him get a job here but I'm glad my doubts were misplaced.”

 

“Indeed.” The president added. “You've helped this company and this town grow since you first came to work here. You're not just an honored employee but a dear member of our family.”

 

“My friends...thank you.” Tomoya replied as he smiled. “It's been a few months since the accident but I've been regaining more and more of my memories. There are still a few things I don't think I'll ever get back but with the bonds I've made with so many people in this town, I know I'll be alright.”

 

XxX

 

“Freeze!” Detective Sanada roared as he burst into the run-down apartment on the outskirts of the town, several dozen officers surrounding the building. “Hands where I can see them!”

 

“How'd you find me?!” The suspect exclaimed in surprise as two officers rushed forward to handcuff him.

 

“You're lucky we're the ones who found you first.” Sanada remarked as the suspect was led outside to a waiting police care. “If the gang combing the streets found you first, you'd be in pieces.”

 

“We found a gun, sir.” An officer emerging from the house said to him. Sanada removed a bullet from the magazine and compared it to the one recovered from Akio's body.

 

“We got a match.” he said as he glared at the man they just arrested. “Bastard should've skipped town when he had the chance. Get that piece of trash out of here.” As the police car drove downtown, Sanada climbed in his own care and dialed Sanae's number on his cellphone.

 

“We got him.” he said. There was a long pause. At first he though he was disconnected but when he heard Sanae beginning to sob he knew she heard him loud and clear.

 

XxX

 

“I'm home.” Yukimora said when he came later that evening.

 

“Welcome home, dear.” Kotomi said before he ran to her side and hugged her.

 

“I have wonderful news, Kotomi.” he said. “The man who killed Akio is in police custody. Once again the people of Hikarisaka can live in peace.”

 

“How wonderful!” She exclaimed. “Did you tell Sanae and Nagisa?”

 

“I called them right after the arrest was made.” he replied. “They both shed tears of joy at the news.”

 

“I can hardly blame them.” Kotomi said as she smiled sadly. “This won't bring Akio back but at least now they'll have closure.”

 

“Having lost a parent at a young age, I know it's not easy.” Yukimora replied as he placed his hands on Kotomi's belly. Inside her belly a baby was growing. “I hope our child doesn't have to experience the same pain you and I have.” Kotomi covered his hands with her own.

 

“Then we have our work cut out for us.” she said. “If we work together, anything is possible.”

 

XxX

 

Fuko gasped in surprise as memories that shouldn't exist awoke her in the middle of the night. It happened less frequently but when she first came out of her coma three years earlier she dreamed of the high school life she never had. She had her accident on her first day of high school and didn't wake up until she was an adult. Even so, it felt strange to have memories that shouldn't exist.

 

Fuko climbed out of her bed and walked over to her window. As she looked at the night sky she could see thousands of small glowing lights. According to the old town legend, orbs of light would appear when a person achieved true happiness. If enough lights could be collected, a wish would be granted.

 

“That's fine and good, but things have been pretty depressing lately.” Fuko thought to herself as she looked at the lights in the night sky. The orbs of light emerged from the homes of the people of Hikarisaka and seemed to converge above the town. If Fuko had known where they lived, she would have noticed a steady stream of the lights were coming from the Yukimora and Hiiragi households.

 

XxX

 

“Nagisa!” Tomoya exclaimed as he sat up in the middle of the night. Beads of sweat rolled down his face as the memory of another life pierced his mind. He looked and saw his wife sleeping peacefully next to him. Just the sight of her sleeping so peacefully made the memory he visited even harder to bear.

 

“Nagisa.” he said, gently shaking her awake. After a few moments, she slowly opened her eyes.

 

“Are you ok, Tomoya?” she asked when she saw how distressed he looked.

 

“I...I don't know.” he replied. “All of a sudden, I was dreaming of the day Ushio was born. In my dream, you died giving birth to her. Five years later, Ushio suddenly got sick and then she...!” Tomoya suddenly got up and ran to Ushio's bedroom where she lay fast asleep. Only then did he breathe a sigh of relief.

 

“It's ok.” Nagisa gently told him. “You told me about it the day after she was born. I'll tell you the same thing I told you then, Tomoya. Even if the memory you have was the life you were destined to live, both Ushio and I believe it's not the life you deserve. It took you a lot of courage just to tell me you love me back when we were in high school. Even if I died giving birth to either of my children, it would be worth it knowing you would show them the same love you've shown me over the years.”

 

Tomoya gently pulled Nagisa into a hug. As tears began to fall from his face, he knew he didn't need to say anything for the two of them to know this was the life they both wanted and they wouldn't trade it for the world.

 

XxX

 

When Yukimora awoke he noticed Kotomi was not sleeping in the bed next to him. He looked out the window and saw her car was still in the driveway. “Good to know I won't need to call in an APB on my wife.” he mused. Yawning, he put on his robe before going downstairs to look for Kotomi. He found her in the kitchen looking at something on her laptop at the table. Sitting next to her computer was a half-eaten apple pie.

 

“When did you find the time to bake that pie?” he asked his wife in surprise.

 

“Earlier this morning.” Kotomi replied as she gently put the fork she was holding down and patted her belly. “What can I say? The baby loves apple pie.”

 

“I'm sure the baby's not the only one who likes it at this point.” Yukimora said with a chuckle as he knelt next to his wife and rested his head next to her large 40-week baby bump. He could hear the baby's heartbeat loud and clear.

 

“By the way, I was looking up different methods that can be used to induce labor.” Kotomi said as she stroked her husband's head. “If I didn't just eat half a pie, I'd try some of the different foods that are suggested. Instead, one of these other methods will have to do.”

 

“Wait...what kinds of methods are we talking about?” Yukimora asked suspiciously. “You promised you wouldn't treat your pregnancy or the baby as research material!”

 

“I know what I said but I can't help it.” Kotomi calmly replied as she stood. “I am a scientist, after all.”

 

“Yeah, and I'm a cop.” Yukimora countered. “I can arrest you for child abuse!” Kotomi pretended to look shocked.

 

“We've talked about this before, Yuki.” Kotomi said. “We both agreed to play it safe while I'm pregnant and not get carried away.”

 

“I'm not kidding this time.” Yukimora suddenly said as he grabbed a pair of handcuffs from the counter and expertly handcuffed Kotomi's hands behind her back.

 

“What do you think you're doing?” Kotomi asked. “Take off the handcuffs.”

 

“Not until you promise not to turn our kid into a lab rat!” Yukimora exclaimed.

 

“I can't do that so take them off!” she exclaimed.

 

“Promise first!” he shot back.

 

“Never!” she roared defiantly.

 

“Then they're never coming off.” Yukimora flatly replied.

 

“Yes...they...are!” Kotomi said as she struggled against her bonds. The next thing Yukimora knew, the chain connecting the handcuffs broke. He'd heard about martial artists being able to do it but to actually see it done and by a pregnant woman was pretty impressive to say the least.

 

“How did you do that?” Yukimora asked.

 

“It's a secret.” his wife replied as she grinned. “Let's see you top that.” As soon as the words left her mouth they both heard the sound of fluid hitting the floor. Yukimora felt the color drain from his face when he saw it was coming from Kotomi. “Looks like my water broke.”

 

“Yeah, I can see that.” Yukimora said as he ran to get his car keys. “Time to go!”

  
They were at the hospital exactly 15 minutes later. After 12 hours of hard labor, Kotomi gave birth to a baby girl. She had dark lavender hair like her mother.

 

“She's beautiful.” Kotomi said as she held the newborn in her arms.

 

“Welcome to the world Chihiro Mizue Sanada.” Yukimora said as he looked on.

 

“Congratulations, you two.” Ryou said as she walked into the room.

 

:Why thank you, Ryou.” Kotomi replied. Then she noticed Ryou's pregnant belly. “Looks like you'll become a mother soon, too.”

 

“Yeah, a boy.” Ryou said as she smiled. “Kyou and Kappei were thrilled when I told them. I'm pretty excited about it as well.”

 

“Speaking of new arrivals, isn't Sanae Furukawa due in a few weeks?” Yukimora asked Ryou.

 

“Now that you mention it, I believe she is.” Ryou replied thoughtfully. “Nagisa mentioned the last time we met her mom was temporarily moving in for the last month of her pregnancy. She wants to be there to support her mother during what's sure to be a very difficult time for the whole family.”

 

“No kidding.” Kotomi added. “At least her baby will grow up with their Mom, sister, niece, nephew and brother in-law. I didn't have anyone to grow up with after my parents died.” She didn't need to say anything for Yukimora and Ryou to know what they already knew. After he parents' tragic deaths on their way to America, Kotomi grew up alone in an empty house.

 

“I'm just glad we caught the man responsible.” said Yukimora. “Believe me, his court date's not far off, either.”

 

 

XxX

 

“We're home!” Ushio announced as she and Tomoya entered the Okazaki family home.

 

“Welcome home.” Nagisa said as she hugged husband and daughter in turn. “How was your day?”

 

“Detective Sanada called me before I left work.” Tomoya told her, dropping his voice to a whisper. “He wanted me to let you know the pretrial hearing will be tomorrow morning.”

 

“I see.” Nagisa replied. “I haven't talked to my mom about it but I was thinking it might be better if she didn't go,:

 

“I agree.” said Tomoya. “Ryuto was easier to deal with but this guy...”

 

“Welcome home!” a new voice exclaimed. Tomoya and Nagisa turned to see Sanae had come to the door.

 

“Hi, Sanae!” Ushio exclaimed.

 

“Did you have a good day at school?” Sanae asked her granddaughter.

 

“Yeah, we learned all kinds of stuff.” Ushio replied. “Wait, where's Kaga?”

 

“He's taking a nap.” Nagisa explained. “I was just about to put dinner on the table. Ushio, why don't you go get ready?”

 

“Sure.” she replied before running off.

 

“I didn't mean to but I overheard what you were talking about.” Sanae said once they heard the door to Ushio's bedroom close. “I gave it some thought and I've made up my mind to attend the trial.” Nagisa and Tomoya shared a gasp of surprise.

 

“Mom, you don't have to do that!” Nagisa exclaimed. “Tomoya and I were already planning to go. I don't want you to have to relive what happened to Dad.”

 

“She's right.” Tomoya added. “You're due to give birth any day now. Please, think about the baby!”

 

“You we're there!” Sanae exclaimed, then again in a hushed tone “You weren't there. You didn't see the way he was taken from us. I know that if was killed instead, Akio would have insisted on being there tomorrow. I'm going not just for me but for him and our child.”

 

“Mom...” Nagisa started.

 

“Very well.” Tomoya said. “After what I've been through, we have no right to keep you from meeting the man who did this to our family. If that's what you want to do, I support you decision.”

 

“Thank you.” Sanae replied as she hugged him. “Nagisa?”

 

“I'm still against it to be honest.” she said. “Even so, I know it's what Dad would have wanted. Just promise me you'll be careful, okay?”

 

“Of course.” Sanae replied as she hugged her daughter. “It's a promise.”

 

The next day Tomoya, Nagisa and Sanae sat in the courthouse lobby waiting for the courtroom doors to open. They'd heard a famous prosecutor originally from Germany was in charge of the trial. From what Detective Sanada told him about her, she sounded ruthless to Tomoya.

 

“Good morning.” Detective Sanada said as he entered the lobby. “Sanae, I was wondering if you could come with me for a few minutes?”

 

“Is something wrong?” She asked as Nagisa helped her up.

 

“Oh, no.” he replied. “There's someone I'd like you to meet.” Sanae followed the detective down the hall to a meeting room. Inside the room was a table and two chairs. After helping her sit in one of them, he walked to the other end of the room and unlocked the door. A moment later, a man wearing a blue prison jumpsuit entered the room, he hands and feet bound with shackles.

 

Sanae couldn't believe her eyes.

 

Walking over to the inmate, he said “This is Sane Furukawa. She's the wife of the man you killed, mother of one and is expecting one more as you can see. Sanae, this is Takeru Isshin. He's the man who killed your husband and the father of your children.”

 

There was silence as the room's occupants looked at each other. After several tense moments, Sanae broke the silence.

 

“Just so you know, I don't hate you for what you've done.” Sanae said. “That's what sets me apart from my son in-law. I'm sure that if he came here, he'd just at the opportunity to thrash you. I just want you to understand how many lives have been effected because of what you've done. My grandchildren will grow up without their grandfather, my daughter will live the rest of her life without her father and my new baby will grow up never knowing their father. It only takes an instant to take a life but it takes nine months to make one.”

 

Takeru said nothing in response. All things considered, it was doubtful anything he said would do anything other than anger The detective or Sanae or both.

 

“It's almost time.” The bailiff said as he peeked in the room. Sanada motioned for him to take Takeru away while he walked Sanae back to Tomoya and Nagisa.

 

“Thank you.” Sanae said to him before they turned the corner.

 

“You're welcome--” Yukimora started but stopped mid-sentence when Sanae suddenly held her belly, wincing in pain.

 

“I think the baby's coming!” she exclaimed as Tomoya and Nagisa rushed over. The next 30 minutes felt like a blur to Sanae as she was rushed to the hospital. After several hours of hard labor, she gave birth to a baby girl. She had warm amber eyes like her sister and mother but dark brown hair like her father. As was Akio's last request, she was named Atsuko Furukawa.

 

“That brought back some memories.” Sanae said as she held the newborn. “Once upon a time, Akio held you just like this on the day you were born Nagisa.”

 

“Seeing you hold her like that makes it easier to see that now.” Nagisa replied as she smiled proudly.

 

“Somewhere, I'm sure he's smiling with pride.” Tomoya added.

 

“Wait a minute!” Nagisa suddenly exclaimed. “Mom, let me hold her for a moment.”

 

“Sure, but why--” she stopped mid-sentence when Nagisa licked her sister's face.

 

“Nagisa!” Tomoya exclaimed in surprise.

 

“There, now we're even.” she replied as she grinned, handing her sibling back to Sanae.

 

“Talk about being cut from the same cloth.” said Tomoya as he remembered what Akio said the day they told the Furukawas Nagisa was pregnant with Ushio.

 

“Welcome to the family, Atsuko!” Sanae exclaimed.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And now, the story is complete prettymuch.
> 
> If the end of this chapter is any indication yes there will be a sequel. The already announced sequel On The Verge Of Tears picks up where this story leaves off. As for why Tomoya knows about Ushio and not her mother (yet), that is answered by what happened when Ushio and Tomoya were in Inaba. If you're familiar with Persona 4 that town should sound familiar. For those who don't know Persona 4 is a video game. Inaba is the town where the game takes place. Either check out my Wordpress Blog or do a Google search to find out more about Persona 4 if you've never heard of it. 
> 
> As I noted above, this chapter in the FFnet version of the story will be revised to reflect some things that happen in Reach out to the Truth. I will add an extra chapter for the AO3 version of this story that goes into more detail and reveals the identity of the father of Ushio's baby. I've said it to death over on FFnet but the father is not from Persona 4. In fact, I'm giving up the identity of her baby's daddy in this story to end the jokes and speculation. 
> 
> That, and to me it's not as big a deal to me as I thought it would be to reveal that info early. In fact, that detail will be revealed on my Wordpress blog later today.
> 
> So to recap, there will be two sequels: The one that directly follows this one titled On The Verge of Tears. The Persona 4 crossover is titled Reach Out to the Truth, which is also one of the songs featured in that game. 
> 
> To repeat: You do not need to read the crossover story before reading the sequel anymore. 
> 
> I'll release info on when each story will be released on my blog so keep your eyes peeled!
> 
> ~ Brendan Aurabolt


	21. Chapter 21: The Next Generation

_10 Years Later_

 

 

“Ushio! Kaga! Time to get up for breakfast!” Nagisa announced that morning.

 

“Can I have five more minutes?” Ushio asked as she crawled out of bed.

 

“Not unless you want to be late for school.” Nagisa replied as she peeked into her teenage daughter's bedroom. “I know you just got back with your father from Inaba but he's already left for work. If a man his age can get up and leave for work on time after driving for 6 hours, you can too.”

 

“He's got a ton of energy is why.” Ushio replied, stifling a yawn. “That was a pretty crazy father-daughter vacation, though. I can't wait until we go back to Inaba next year.”

 

“We can definitely talk about that later but right now you need to hurry up and get ready before your breakfast gets cold.” Nagisa said before going back to the kitchen.

 

“I'll be right down.” she called after her mother. She walked over to her desk where she left her backpack the night before. Reaching into one of the pockets she pulled out two items. One was a skeleton key. The other was a positive pregnancy test. Aside from the friends she made while on vacation, the only other person who knew she was pregnant was her father. As for the key, it was something of a souvenir from her time in Inaba.

 

That, however is another story.

 

She put the items back in her backpack and got dressed. Ushio was a little taller than Nagisa was when she was in high school. Also unlike her mother, Ushio let her hair grow long. It ran down the length of her back, stopping at her waist.

 

She had a little trouble buttoning her school uniform but managed to pull it off. At five and a half months pregnant, she knew she wouldn't be able to hide her belly for too much longer. She felt horrible hiding her condition from her mother, let alone alone the father of her child. She did promise her father that she would tell her mother before she told him when they were in Inaba.

 

“Sorry, I just needed to pack a few things for the day.” Ushio said as she sat at the kitchen table and began to eat.

 

“I was beginning to think I'd have to reheat your food.” Nagisa said as she watched her children eat. In the last ten years, each of her children had begun to come into their own. Ushio had become fast friends with Tomoyo's half-sister Tomo. Ushio was two years her senior but they found time for each other almost every day. Like her father, Ushio had a reputation for being helpful to her peers but like her mother and grandfather she was looking to revive The Drama Club at Hikarisaka Private High School. Ushio was even looking to run for Student Council President next year.

 

Kagayaku, on the other hand was almost the exact opposite of his older sister. He seemed to inherit his father's love of playing practical jokes at school though Nagisa was sure Tomoya and Youhei were behind some of the more creative ones. Also like his father, he took a liking to basketball. He did inherit his mother's academic drive much to the relief of both of his parents.

 

“I'm going to see if I can get excused from Club Activities when I get to school.” Ushio said once she finished eating. Nagisa noticed Ushio already looked very full. “There's something I want to talk to you about when I get home.”

 

“What's that?” Nagisa asked. “Did something happen on your trip?”

 

“Um...you can say that.” Ushio replied slowly. “Anyway, I'm running late. We'll talk when I get home, okay?”

 

“Have a good day at school!” Nagisa called after Ushio before she disappeared out the door.

 

XxX

 

“I'm home.” Ushio announced as she arrived home from school.

 

“I thought you weren't going to go to club activities today?” Nagisa asked.

 

“I wasn't planning to but something came up with the Drama Club and I had to help out.” Ushio explained as she took off her jacket. “I ate on the way home, though.”

 

“You sound really tired.” Nagisa noted as Ushio walked to her bedroom.

 

“It's been a long day.” she replied, adding “And I have some studying I need to catch up on. Put some coffee on for me, Mom! I'm pulling an all-night cram session!”

 

“You'll burn yourself out quick with that attitude.” Tomoya said as he came into the room. “I know you want to catch up on what you missed but don't push yourself too hard.”

 

“Your father's right.” Nagisa added. “Please don't push yourself too hard.”

 

“I'll just study for a little while then.” Ushio said after a long pause. “Good night.”

 

“Good night, Ushio.” her parents said in turn as they watched her go in her room. When Nagisa walked by Ushio’s room a few hours later, she saw the door closed but the light was on.

 

“Ushio?” she gently called out. Hearing no answer, Nagisa opened the door. She found Ushio fast asleep on her bed surrounded by textbooks. She clearly failed in her intent to do a night-long cram session.

 

Nagisa smiled warmly as she carefully moved the textbooks to Ushio’s desk. After moving the books, Nagisa was about to turn off the light when she noticed something odd about the position Ushio was sleeping in. Having watched Ushio sleep since she was a baby, she knew Ushio preferred to sleep on her back or her stomach. This time she was sleeping on her side.

 

“Could I have missed one?” she thought to herself as she pulled the blanket back. What she saw made her gasp in surprise. There was a noticeable bulge to Ushio’s midsection. Like her mother, Ushio had a slightly thin build. She remembered Ushio mentioned eating before she came home but even if she really pigged out, her stomach couldn't get that big from food alone. She reached out and placed her hand on Ushio’s belly. The firmness confirmed what she feared.

 

Ushio was pregnant.

 

As if in reaction to her touch, Nagisa felt a familiar fluttering sensation beneath her hand. The baby was kicking or moving, she wasn't sure which. Nagisa couldn’t help but smile despite the situation. When Ushio’s hand suddenly moved on top hers, Nagisa almost jumped in surprise.

 

“Mom?” Ushio said in surprise when she saw her mother standing next to her bed. Then she saw where her hand was and felt the color drain from her face. There was a long pause as several thoughts raced through her mind. “I-I can explain.” she finally said.

 

“Shh.” Nagisa said, finally removing her hand. “We can talk in the morning.” Without saying another word, Nagisa turned off the light and closed the door behind her. Some many thoughts raced through her mind but for now, they would have to wait.

 

“If it makes you feel any better, I found out while we were in Inaba.” Tomoya said to Nagisa as he emerged from their bedroom.

 

“You knew?!” Nagisa exclaimed in surprise. Tomoya didn't miss the anger in her tone of voice. “Why didn’t you tell me when you found out? How far along is she?”

 

“It’s kinda complicated but I found out while were in Inaba.” Tomoya explained, sighing. “I told her I would wait until she told you herself before we talked about what to do as a family. I also told her she needed to tell you within a week's time or I’d tell you myself. She’s a little over five months pregnant this week.”

 

“Has she talked to the father?” Nagisa asked. “Has she seen a doctor?”

 

“I told her she can’t tell the father of her child until after she told you.” Tomoya replied as he hugged Nagisa. “I took her to get checked out in Inaba before we left. The baby’s healthy and so is our daughter.”

 

“She's only sixteen.” Nagisa whispered. “Sixteen!”

 

“Believe me, that's exactly what I was thinking when I found out.” said Tomoya. “We're going to have to fight to keep her in school. From what I've heard, Hikarisaka Private High School changed the rules on this kind of thing after my parents eloped. Any student found to have taken their relationship to this level could be expelled. I get the school has its image to maintain but it's not fair for all her hard work to now be undone.”

 

“We may have a chance.” Nagisa remarked thoughtfully. “Kouko, Mei and Yukine all work there. It may also help Yukine is the school principal.”

 

“Hey, you're right.” Tomoya remarked thoughtfully. “That's got to count for something. We've both had to overcome adversity back in the day. It looks it's now our daughter's turn. The only question now is if she's truly up to it.”

 

What Nagisa and Tomoya didn't know was Ushio had been listening to her parents talking from the other side of her bedroom door. She quietly sighed, rubbing her belly after her parents' voices faded away. “You're not to blame for this.” she quietly said to her unborn child. “I want to keep going to the school where all of my friends are but not if it means I have to give you up. I promise I'll find a way to make everything work out.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And thus, Clannad: A Wonderful Life is complete. 
> 
> That last sequence should look familiar for those who saw the excerpt I posted on my Wordpress last year. What you have here is the rest of the sequence. Now, I intentionally held back a bit since there is going to be a full-blown sequel as you already know.
> 
> The story's titled On the Verge of Tears and focuses mostly on Ushio. Ryou, Yukine and Kotomi's children will make appearances as they're all around the same age as Kagayaku (if I timed the births right, that is). Sanae's daughter Atsuko will also appear as will Tomo Sakagami, who is Ushio's best friend despite the two-year difference between them (Ushio is 16 while Tomo is 14). 
> 
> I left in the references to the Persona 4 crossover and side story Reach Out to the Truth because I am still going to write it. Now that it will be a side story and not a direct sequel, I can take my time writing it. The father of Ushio's baby will be introduced in the opening chapter of On the Verge of Tears so there's that. 
> 
> There will be a lot of development for the canon characters in the sequel but at the end of the day, the focus will be on Ushio. In fact, it will be told from her point of view. It's been a while since I've written a story that focuses entirely on one person so this will prove to be quite the challenge.
> 
> I want to thank again those who've supported this story, some of you from day 1. I hope I can count on your support in the sequel!
> 
> ~ B.A.
> 
> P.S. Akio WILL be back. From the dead.
> 
> ...That is all.


End file.
